California Lottery's latest new millionaires bought lucky scratchers at these stores
LOS ANGELES - Feeling lucky?
Mehret Werrede hit the jackpot after purchasing a top-prize winning Instant Prize Crossword at Circle Liquor in La Habra.
"I couldn't believe it finally happened. I was shocked!" Werrede told the California Lottery. "I went home to tell my husband… he didn't really believe it until I got my check."
Werrede's lucky win came six years after a day that has left her feeling "haunted." She bought three tickets from a newly-opened pack of Instant Prize Crossword games, and played all three. But later she found out the person who bought the fourth scratcher walked out with $2 million.
"The clerk told me. Someone walked in the next day and won the jackpot. It was a horrible feeling. It’s actually what’s kept me trying," she said.
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It was also a good day for Christopher Lopez, who won $2 million playing Instant Prize Crossword. He got his scratcher at a 76 gas station on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles County.
Lopez told the California Lottery that he’d previously won $200, then $2,000, and finally $2 million.
"I saw one comma then another, and I said, ‘Oh my God!’ The clerk said, ‘what is it?’ and I said, ‘I won," Lopez shared. "It was great but also frightening at the same time – that much money."
Both lottery retail partners earned $5,000 bonuses for selling those winning scratchers games.