SAN FRANCISCO MAN WINS TWICE AS GRAND PRIZE OF $2,080,000

08.18.2001
SAN FRANCISCO MAN WINS TWICE AS GRAND PRIZE OF $2,080,000
Insurance Agent from Oakland Wins $175,000 on Camelot's Riches

SACRAMENTO -- California Lottery's "The Big Spin®" show airs Saturday, August 18, 2001, in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show won a total of $2,597,500.

"Twice As Grand" contestant, Asim Causevic, a tile man from San Francisco, progressed to the final round of play on one of the Big Spin show's newest game, "Twice As Grand." Causevic won $2,000 a week for 20 years; winning a total grand prize of over $2 million. When he won the $2 million top prize, Causevic said, "I will help my family and take care of myself." The other two contestants each won $25,000. Causevic was almost speechless as a friend joined him on stage and as he showed off the oversized check for $2,080,000.

Brandy Hayes, an insurance agent from Oakland was this week's Camelot's Riches contestant. Hayes won $175,000! She planned to use her prize to "Help family and possibly buy a house, depending on how much I win today." Camelot's Riches is one of the California Lottery's newest ways to get to the Big Spin. The game is played by pulling on King Arthur's sword, "Excalibur," which starts a set of two different colored balls racing down the ramps to the finish line. The contestant's prize is decided by which color ball crosses the finish line first. Three rounds are played and the final prize is totaled after the three rounds have ended.

Elliott Moran, a retiree from Los Angeles, was the finalist from California Gold and went on the spin the wheel. Once at the wheel announced, "This is a great way to spend my 85th birthday!" Moran got quite a birthday present when he won $100,000 and plans on spending his prize on his family. California Gold is another way to get to the wheel on "The Big Spin". The game starts with 10 contestants whose Big Spin Scratchers® tickets each revealed three "TV SHOW" symbols on one ticket. When instructed, each player pushes down a "detonator" to reveal a prize ranging from $1,750 to $4,000. Two of those contestants will reveal gold nuggets and advance to the second round of play. Once there, they compete to see who can get the closest to 10 units of "gold nuggets" in their mining car without going over. The winner of this round goes to "The Big Spin" prize wheel, while the other contestant wins $5,000.

Yvette Brooks, retiree from Long Beach was the first contestant at the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine. Brooks said, "I want to buy a house and a car with this money!" Brooks won $100,000. Next up at the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine was Cora Gomez, another retiree from San Dimas. Gomez said, "I want to get a place with big closets, that would be a dream come true." Gomez brought other Lottery tickets with her as lucky charms. It worked as she won $70,000. At the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine, players have up to five chances to launch one ball at a time into one of the five bins in the pinball-type game, each bin representing a cash amount. Prizes are cumulative, but only one ball may land in each bin to claim the prize amount. Players appearing on this segment qualify by mailing an entry form to the Lottery when $5 of Fantasy 5 games are purchased on one playslip.

The California Lottery sells its products through a network of more than 18,000 outlets statewide. The Lottery provides 52.7 percent of its revenues to players as prizes, 34.1 percent to public schools and 13.2 percent for administrative expenses, which includes 6.9 percent for retailer commissions. Since 1985, the Lottery has raised more than $12 billion for public schools. The California Lottery's contribution equals approximately 2 percent of the state's total education budget. "The Big Spin®" is the longest running Lottery game show in the country, airing continuously since 1985.

NAME	CITY	AMOUNT
Asim Causevic	San Francisco	$2,080,000
Brandy Hayes	Oakland	$175,000
Yvette Brooks	Long Beach	$100,000
Elliott Moran	Los Angeles	$100,000
Cora Gomez	San Dimas	$70,000
Other Twice as Grand Contestants		$50,000
Other California Gold Contestants		$22,500

	TOTAL	$2,597,500

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2001 3rd Quarter Press Releases: Article