SACRAMENTO – The California Lottery’s® newest millionaires came forward today to claim their $56 million jackpot prize from last night’s SuperLOTTO Plus draw, doing so live on a Los Angeles television station coincidentally filming at the retailer that sold the winning ticket.
Delia Perales, Indira Acosta and Michele Quiroz, all of Los Angeles County, were astonished that they had actually won. When Ms. Acosta checked the numbers, she started screaming and crying and immediately called to have her co-workers meet her at the store where they bought the ticket, Reyes Adobe Shell in Agoura Hills. “I couldn’t even think! We just couldn’t believe it,” explained Ms. Acosta.
The one who actually bought the ticket was Ms. Perales, something she always does when the jackpot gets large. When the jackpot rolls, “I come in every Monday to buy a ticket because you never know,” she said. Each lady chipped in $2 apiece for the $6 Quick Pick® ticket, with the second set of numbers being the winners.
All three ladies talked about retiring, but Ms. Perales seemed the most serious. In fact once she realized they were to split a $56 million jackpot she squealed, “Retire!” When asked if she really was going to retire, she said, “You got it! Yeah,” and then apologized on camera to her supervisor.
The group of three chose the cash option. Each member will receive more than $9 million before taxes. Although their riches are very new, they all had plans for their prize. Ms. Perales said besides retiring, she would spend it on her kids, start college funds for her grandkids, and look for property to build a house. Ms. Acosta planned to buy a car and Ms. Quiroz to start college funds for her children and buy a house.
The California Lottery contributed a record $1.28 billion to public education in 2005-06 out of historic sales of $3.58 billion. This is the sixth year in a row the Lottery has provided more than $1 billion in supplemental funding for education. Schools have the flexibility to spend their Lottery funds however they see fit, reducing class sizes, purchasing new textbooks, and maintaining and expanding valuable programs and services. Last year, Lottery funds accounted for 1.5% of California’s total education budget. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $18 billion to California schools.