Homeless man wins $1 million on lottery scratcher from California liquor store: report

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A homeless man in California was given an Easter blessing after his lottery ticket reportedly ended up winning him $1 million.

Earlier this month, the L.A. Times reported that a homeless man became an instant millionaire after purchasing a scratcher ticket from a liquor store in San Luis Obispo.

Wilson Samaan, the owner of Sandy’s Liquor, shared his excitement over the winning ticket with the Times and said that the winner was a longtime customer.

“I was so excited, even more than him,” Samaan told the Times. “He’s a good person. He deserves every penny. I was very excited it happened to a person who deserved it, and he actually needed it.”

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The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, told the L.A. Times he plans to buy a house and a car with his million dollars. (Instagram/Sandysliquor)

The winner initially thought he had won $100,000, but Samaan let him know he had won an even bigger amount.

Samaan shared a photo of the winning ticket on the store’s Instagram page along with a picture of the big check, captioning the post, “Big congrats to our loyal customer on his $1 million jackpot-winning scratch ticket at Sandy’s.”

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A California man reportedly won $1 million off a scratcher ticket purchased from a liquor store in San Luis Obispo. (Instagram/Sandysliquor)

The lucky winner, who chose to remain anonymous, told the outlet he plans to purchase a house and a car with his winnings. 

According to the Times, Samaan and the winner have a “close relationship,” and to make sure he was able to secure his winnings, Samaan told the outlet he drove the winner to the California Lottery office in Fresno.

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The man said he plans to buy a house and a car with the money. (iStock)

The win is still being verified by the California Lottery, and a spokesperson for the lottery told the Times it could take weeks to verify the win. 

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As the retailer that sold the winning ticket, Samaan’s store will also reap the benefits of the winning ticket and collect $5,000, or a 0.5% share of the jackpot.

Fox News Digital reached out to the California Lottery for comment. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com