Redwood City Retired Pastry Chef Wins $100,000

02.19.2000
Redwood City Retired Pastry Chef Wins $100,000

SACRAMENTO -- California Lottery's "Big Spin® 2000" show airs Saturday, February 19, 2000 in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show won a total of $387,500.

Redwood City resident Maurice Blane won $100,000 playing Big Spin® 2000's High Roller game. Blane, a retired French Pastry Chef, said he wants to use his prize money to go to Paris for a couple of months and to help his family. Maria Flores of San Bruno won $5,000.

Fantasy^TM 5 contestants won a combined total of $140,000. Calvin Melville was proxy for his father Clarence Melville, a retired well driller from Chowchilla. Melville said his father plans to take an Alaskan cruise and travel by train around the country with his $65,000 prize.

Retired Navy Sr. Chief Petty Officer of 22 years, McHenry Otis of Fremont plans to remodel his home and take a trip back East to visit his family with the $55,000 he won on the Fantasy^TM 5 Dream Machine.

Randall Stone, a delivery driver from Industry played all five balls at his turn up at the Dream Machine. He dropped three $20,000 balls and two $30,000 balls leaving him with $20,000. Randall said he wants to travel and buy a car. A good friend gave Laurel Bohn of San Jose a stress bear to take with her on the show for luck. Bohn won $60,000 spinning the largest prize wheel in the world. When asked what she plans to do with her prize money she said she would take an Alaskan cruise. California Gold contestants won a total of $82,500. A warehouse worker from Rosemead, Vinh Lam, was the top winner. Lam won $60,000 at his turn up at the wheel.

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 $11 billion for public 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
Laurel Bohn	San Jose	$60,000
McHenry Otis	Fremont	$55,000
Clarence Melville	Chowchilla	$65,000
Randall Stone	Industry	$20,000
Maria Flores	San Bruno	$5,000
Maurice Blane	Redwood City	$100,000
Vinh Lam	Rosemead	$60,000
Other California Gold Winners		$22,500
		TOTAL $387,500

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