TWO CALIFORNIANS WIN $75,000 EACH

12.01.2001
TWO CALIFORNIANS WIN $75,000 EACH
Final Twice As Grand Contestant Decided

SACRAMENTO -- California Lottery's "The Big Spin®" show airs Saturday, December 1, 2001, in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show won a total of $190,000.

This week's finalist at the California Gold game was Sydney Chew, a construction supervisor from Anaheim who won $75,000. Chew said, "Up until now, the most I have won was $100," when show host Pat Finn pointed out the least he could win was $20,000. Chew instead landed his first ball in the TRIPLE spoke and his next one in the $25,000 slot, making his grand prize $75,000. Chew had no immediate plans for his prize. 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.

"Twice As Grand" contestant, Ward Bonser, a retiree from Vacaville, will progress to the final round of play for a chance to win $2,000 a week for 20 years; winning a total grand prize of over $2 million. Asked how he would spend the $2 million top prize, Bonser said, "I have a lot of grandkids." On this week's show, six contestants competed in the second preliminary round of the game moving simulated racecars along a racetrack. Of the six, one contestant, Bonser, moved on to the final round of play. Other "Twice As Grand" contestants won a combined total of $17,500 with prizes ranging from $2,500 to $5,000.

The lone Fantasy 5 contestant was Joseph Zeuli, a retiree from Garden Grove who won $75,000. Zeuli said, "I plan to save a little, spend a little and I think my grandkids are going to spend a little too." 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 $13 billion for public schools. The 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
Joseph Zeuli	Garden Grove	$75,000
Sydney Chew	Anaheim	$75,000
Other California Gold Contestants		$22,500
Other Twice As Grand Contestants		$17,500

	TOTAL	$190,000

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2001 4th Quarter Press Releases: Article