"Big Spin® 2000" Contestants Win More Than $257,000

08.21.1999
"Big Spin® 2000" Contestants Win More Than $257,000

SACRAMENTO -- The new California Lottery's "Big Spin® 2000" show airs Saturday August 21, 1999 in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show won a total of $257,500.

Juan Sanchez, a boat cover fabricator from Downey, went to the store with $5 to buy a soda and a Big Spin Scratchers® ticket. At the last minute, he decided to buy two more Scratchers with his remaining two dollars. "Lucky for me I did," said Sanchez, "that last dollar turned into $75,000." Sanchez won $75,000 spinning the largest prize wheel in the world. As for his plans, Sanchez will put some of the money away for his children's education and use some of it for a down payment on a house.

The Fantasy 5^TM Dream Machine hosted two contestants on this week's show. Fantasy 5 contestant, George Finn, Jr., a retired accountant from San Francisco, is no stranger to the Big Spin® 2000 show. Two years ago Finn was a Fantasy 5 winner and he came back again this week to win $60,000. Finn plans to pay off college loans, buy a new computer and a new car. The top Fantasy 5 winner was Julian Mora, from Wasco who won $75,000.

This week's California Gold winners took home a total of $47,500. The top winner was Diann Clark, a retired bookkeeper from Elk Grove. Clark won $25,000 and plans to split the money with her mother and buy herself a new Lincoln car.

The California Lottery sells its products through a network of more than 18,000 outlets statewide. The Lottery provides 52 percent of its revenues to players as prizes, 34 percent to public schools, and 14 percent for administrative expenses, which includes 6.8 percent for retailer commissions. Since 1985, the Lottery has raised more than $10 billion for public schools and has provided an annual average of approximately 38 percent of the Lottery's total revenues to schools. The California Lottery's contribution equals approximately 2 percent of the state's total education budget. "Big Spin® 2000" is the longest running Lottery game show in the country, airing continuously since 1985.

NAME	CITY	AMOUNT
Julian Mora	Wasco	$ 75,000
Juan Sanchez	Downey	$ 75,000
George Finn, Jr.	San Francisco	$ 60,000
Diann Clark	Elk Grove	$ 25,000
Other California Gold Winners		$ 22,500
		TOTAL $257,500

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1999 3rd Quarter Press Releases: Article