SACRAMENTO, January 5, 2004 – It's definitely a Happy New Year for Pamela Bazan who matched last Saturday's SuperLotto Plus numbers—5, 9, 13, 16, 21 Mega 4 winning an $88 million jackpot. Bazan, who bought her ticket at Carriage Trade Liquor in Seal Beach becomes the largest individual prize winner from Orange County.
On Monday, January 5, 2004 Bazan claimed her $88 million prize at the Santa Ana District Office. Bazan told Lottery officials that she had won $10 on New Year's Eve and used that prize to buy ten Quick Picks for the Saturday draw. Bazan said she plans to use the prize money to furnish her newly built home and pay off her mortgage and children's mortgages. Bazan, who plays the lottery regularly, using the advanced play feature, said she has never before won anything "very significant." The lucky winner opted for the cash option of roughly $44 million before federal tax withholding of 25%.
The selling retailer, Carriage Trade Liquor in Seal Beach, California will receive ½ of one percent of the jackpot or $440,000 for selling the winning ticket. On November 22, 2003 another Orange County retailer, 7-Eleven in Laguna Hills sold a $7 million winning ticket to a mystery winner that has still not claimed their prize. More than $52 million will go to California's public education from sales associated with this jackpot. In June of 1999, Salvador Gonzalez won $87 million in Anaheim. In February 2001, Rose Briscoe won $64 million, a third of the Lottery's record-breaking $193 million jackpot.
The California Lottery reports another banner year for the fiscal year 2002-2003 with nearly $2.8 billion in sales and over $1 billion for public education. This is the third consecutive year the California Lottery contributed $1 billion to California's public education.
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