CASHING IN

Homeless Man Wins the Lottery: ‘Bro, You Hit the Jackpot!’

The manager of the store that sold the scratcher ticket said that the man deserved every penny.

A homeless man got the best surprise of his life Wednesday when he won $1 million in the California lottery. Thanks to the random scratcher he bought at San Luis Obispo’s Sandy’s Liquor, he may now fulfill his dream of owning his own home. The store’s manager, Wilson Samaan, said the man is a longtime customer and a “good, trustful person.” Samaan said he was “so excited” about his friend’s win and that the man “deserves every penny...I was very excited it happened to a person who deserved it, and he actually needed it.” Samaan couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the numbers on the scratcher. “He’s like, ‘Wilson, come over here, is that true, is that real?’” Samaan recalled. “I scanned it and I’m like, ‘Bro, you hit the jackpot!’” Samaan ended up driving his friend to the closest California Lottery office to ensure the ticket made it. The man will use his winnings to buy a house and a car and invest the rest. The chances of winning the reward is one in 2.92 million. Five of the game’s top prizes are still unclaimed.