$1 million. That is how much one San Luis Obispo man won this month at Sandy's Deli-Liquor in San Luis Obispo.
"That's the winning ticket up there, he match one number and the price was $1 million," said Sandy's manager Wilson Samaan, who posted a copy of the winning ticket above the register for everyone to see.
Samaan has worked at the store since 2013, and says this is the first time someone has ever won a prize of this size.
He says the winner is a long-time customer who is also homeless.
"He came to the store, he scratched it and is like, 'Oh, my god. Is that real? Wilson, can you come and take a look'?" Samaan said. "I'm like, 'Let me see,' so I grabbed the ticket out of his hand went to the machine over there. He's like, 'Man, I'm not homeless anymore!' I'm like, 'Man, you hit the jackpot.' He's like, '$100,000' and I'm like, 'No, bro. Thats $1 million. Congrats brother,' so, and we gave each other a high five."
Samaan did more than just confirm the winning ticket.
"I drove him to Fresno I think the next day, or Wednesday, because he's like, 'Do I want to send it in the mail?' And I told him, 'That's a million-dollar ticket. No, I will drive you'," he said.
A spokesperson from the CA State Lottery says there are a few things that need to be done before the money can be awarded.
"With a million-dollar ticket like this, the person who comes forward can expect a very thorough vetting process," said Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the CA State Lottery. "As you can imagine, we give away a lot of prize money at the CA lottery, and we are happy to do it, but we want to make sure we are giving it to the right person."
She says this vetting process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months and involves an interview with the winner, checking to see if the person owes the state any money, and a few other factors.
"We process over 10,000 winning claims a month, so that's part of why it takes a little bit of time," Becker said.
The winner declined an on-camera interview, but tells community reporter Karson Wells this is a "life-changing" amount of money and that he intends to make a down payment on a home here on the Central Coast, get a car and then invest and save the rest.
