2002 4th Quarter Press Releases: Article

SACRAMENTO -- California Lottery's "The Big Spin®" show airs Saturday, December 14, 2002, in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show win a total of $292,500.

Actress Marcia Cross presented Mel Horn with the California Lottery's Hero in Education Award. Horn is a volunteer at Chet Harrit Elementary School in Santee.

For the past eight years, Horn has pitched in to help both students and teachers alike. Through a program known as "The Breakfast Club," Horn gets together with teachers before the school bell rings, helping them with special projects that will assist them with their daily lesson plans.

Horn also participates in the "Everyone's a Reader" program. In this program, he reads with kids each and every week and then discusses with them the things they've learned through reading. Not only does Horn read books, he also pays for them. At times, he even purchases enough for three to four classrooms at a time. Why so many books? Horn believes that not one single child should miss out on a chance to learn.

Marcia Cross is a talented actress who has starred in a number television shows including One Life to Live, Boy Meets World and Knots Landing. She played Kirstie Alley's sultry sister on the long running sit-com Cheers. She is best known as Dr. Kimberly Shaw from the television phenomenon Melrose Place.

Tracy Williams

This week's finalist at the California Gold game is Tracy Williams, a medical historian from Los Angeles who won $100,000! Williams said, "I want to go on a vacation to Mexico and Puerto Rico with this prize." Williams bought her lucky ticket at Sav-On/Osco Drug in Downey. The second runner-up from the California Gold round is Jimmy Stermer from Santa Ana, who wins $5,000.

California Gold is another way to get to the wheel on "The Big Spin" show. 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.

Dominga Nunez

The Spin-Spin-Spin contestant on this week's show is Dominga Nunez, a shipping clerk from Fresno who wins $100,000! Nunez explained, "I plan to take a nice vacation with my kids with this money." Nunez purchased her ticket at Bacon Gas & Food in Fresno. Nunez bought a "Big Spin" Scratchers® ticket which revealed three "SPIN" symbols on one ticket, that ticket entitled Nunez to a direct trip to the prize wheel.

Theresa Pasqualino

The Fantasy 5 contestant appearing on this week's show is Theresa Pasqualino from Tarzana. Pasqualino wins $70,000 and she explained her plans for this money, "I plan to use it to go on a nice vacation." Pasqualino bought her winning ticket at Adam's Liquor in Van Nuys.

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 percent of its revenues to players as prizes, 34.7 percent to public schools and 13.3 percent for administrative expenses, which includes 6.8 percent for retailer commissions. Since 1985, the Lottery has raised more than $14 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.