SACRAMENTO – An El Cajon woman started the day with a trip to visit her sister and ended the day $100,000 richer, thanks to the California Lottery’s $5 Hit the Jackpot Scratchers ticket.
The woman, who requested anonymity, stopped at a gas station in National City on her way to Chula Vista, and decided to buy a couple Scratchers tickets while she waited. The result? The $100,000 top prize. She collected her prize at the Lottery’s San Diego District Office this afternoon. “At first I thought maybe it’s not true, but then I came here today and now I’m sure I won,” she said.
Her immediate plans are to pay some bills since she has been unable to work of late due to an injury, and also to help out some family members.
The California Lottery wants to remind winners to sign the backs of their tickets, keep tickets in a safe place and contact Lottery officials or visit their local Lottery District Office (www.calottery.com/AboutUs/Locations) as soon as possible. Tickets worth $600 or more cannot be claimed at the retailer. Players must submit their ticket and a claim form either by mail to Lottery Headquarters or in person at any Lottery District Office. Prizes will be mailed within four to six weeks and winners have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim prizes.
More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed nearly $21 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $56 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.6 billion in compensation since 1985.