Close-up of sign for CALottery or the California Lottery in Lafayette, California, April 4, 2019. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
The old saying talks about a white Christmas but for 10 lucky winners a greener Christmas seems more like it.
The California Lottery has announced 10 winners have just become the lottery's newest millionaires.
Thomas Nguyen won his lucky $2,000,000 prize playing an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers that he happened tp pick up at a 7-Eleven on Kooser Road in San Jose.
"I buy tickets, but I don’t scratch the entire thing at once. I scratch a little at a time,” Nguyen said. “It takes me all day to uncover the whole ticket, and when I played this one, I thought I won $2,000, but when I realized how many zeroes were there, I realized it was $2,000,000."
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Nguyen is a regular at his local 7-Eleven but what made his win even sweeter is that he bought his big winning ticket on his birthday.
He says his plans are to build a house for his family and believes this win was a "blessing from a higher power."
Daniel Fagundes was another one of the lucky winners from Northern California who won $1,000,000 after he played a Power 10's ticket he bought at Santa Fe Market & Liquor on East Whitmore Ave. in Hughson.
Nguyen didn't even make it out of the store before he scratched his winning ticket.
"I scratched it right there in the store and knew I won right away. I was in shock,” Fagundes said. "I called my wife, and she didn’t believe me."
Eight other California Lottery winners are also new millionaires.
Here are the remaining winners:
- Michael Warden won $5,000,000 from playing a 100X Scratchers from Lone Hill Liquor in Glendora.
- Varinder Mohan won $5,000,000 after playing the West Coast Winnings game form a ticket he bought at Coalinga Smoke Shop.
- The only draw game winner was Dennis Mangubat, who won $2,595,149 on a Powerball ticket in late August. His ticket was missing only the Powerball number. He bought his ticket at the 7-Eleven on Gellert Boulevard in Daly City.
- Agustin Cantu won $2,000,000 playing an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers he bought at the original Royal Donut in Burlingame.
- Julio Bracamontes won a $1,000,000 on a 50X Fortune ticket he bought at Amigos Market on Firestone Boulevard in Los Angeles.
- Maria Esparza Franco also played 50X Fortune and won a lucky $1,000,000. She bought her ticket at Rotten Robbie on Oakland Road in San Jose.
- Israel Parkins Rodriguez played California Dreamin’ when he got lucky after buying his ticket at Vista Liquor in San Pedro.
- Susan Beach won her riches playing Sparkling Riches from a ticket she bought at Tropicana Liquor in San Jose.
