SACRAMENTO - Several contestants struck gold by winning a total of $577,500 at this weekend's "The Big Spin®" show.
The winner of the "Aces High" round, Ramon Pacheco of Reedley, won big by hitting a triple on the wheel followed by $100,000 for a total of $300,000! Teary eyed, Pacheco expressed his joy, "I plan to help each of my kids buy a house." Pacheco, a retiree, surpassed Paul Kleinschmidt, a freelance writer from San Diego, who walked away with $5,000. Kleinschmidt is no stranger to "The Big Spin®" show; he won $2,000 a week for 20 years on his last appearance, March 23, 2003.
The first lucky player at the "Fantasy 5 Dream Machine" was Ken Bennet, a retiree from Sherman Oaks, who was thrilled to win $75,000. Bennet purchased his ticket at Party House Liquor & Jr. Market in Sherman Oaks. The second player to challenge the "Fantasy 5 Dream Machine" was Laurie Lee from Riverside who won $70,000. Lee, who bought her ticket at 7-Eleven in Riverside, plans to do home improvements and take a vacation. Finishing the "Fantasy 5 Dream Machine" lucky streak was Pelene Feesago of Paramount. Feesago, who bought her ticket at Bluebird Liquor in Hawthorne, also won $70,000 in prize money and plans to buy a house with her winnings.
Fred Muniz, a retiree from Riverside, spun the largest lottery prize wheel in the world and won $40,000. Muniz said, "I'm going to take my wife on a long vacation with my prize money." Muniz purchased his Big Spin Scratchers® ticket at JC & ML Enterprises in Riverside and uncovered Spin-Spin-Spin when he scratched it.
The California Lottery is pleased to announce that in fiscal year 2002-03 it was able to contribute $1 billion to public education, for three consecutive years and is on course to achieve this accomplishment for the fourth consecutive year.
Winners' Summary
How to play “Fantasy 5 Dream Machine”
Contestants on the “Fantasy 5 Dream Machine” game have up to five chances to launch a ball into one of the five bins in the pinball-type game. Each bin represents a cash amount. Prizes are cumulative, but only one ball may land in each bin to claim the prize amount. Contestants appearing on this segment qualify by mailing an entry form to the Lottery after purchasing $5 of Fantasy 5 games on one playslip.
How to play “Aces High”
“Aces High” replaced “California Gold” and is the newest game on “The Big Spin®” show. Ten “Aces High” contestants will either win a dollar amount ranging from $1,750 to $4,000 or get one of two “Ace” cards. The two contestants who end up with an “Ace” card advance to the second round. The object of the second round is to get a better hand than the opponent, the best hand being four of a kind. The contestant with the lower hand wins $5,000 and the contestant with the higher hand goes on to spin the wheel, for a chance to win $3 million!
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