SACRAMENTO – A couple who live north of Edwards Air Force Base can thank a MEGA Millions® tickets for a win that will help them stay in their hometown of California City.
Timothy and Karen Snyder were worried their existing savings and income would not cover retirement expenses in California. But matching five of six numbers on a California Lottery ticket changed their view. “We’ll use the money to help us remain in California instead of moving to some place that is humid and sticky,” Timothy said. “We love it here.”
Timothy is a retired occupational safety technician who worked at Edwards Air Force Base. His wife, Karen, drives a school bus and plans to retire soon.
Karen was in charge of checking tickets the day they learned of the win. “I normally get around to checking [lottery tickets] at 5 a.m., since I drive a school bus,” she explained. “The worst part was it’s the last thing I do before I leave.” When she learned of the win, she scrambled to notify Timothy and double check on the California Lottery Web site before she left. Karen then rushed out of the house knowing that the Snyder’s had won more than $100,000.
The ticket was purchased for the November 14 draw at the Fastrip gas station and convenience store at 8601 California City Boulevard in California City. The winning numbers were 3, 18, 19, 30, 34 and the Mega number was 3.
More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed nearly $21 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $56 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.6 billion in compensation since 1985.