SACRAMENTO – Mario Colin, a Sacramento resident, has been reunited with his Lottery ticket after a retail clerk stole his ticket from him on August 16. After an extensive investigation performed by the California Lottery’s sworn peace officers which involved assistance from 7-Eleven, Inc., Roseville Police Department, Placer County District Attorney’s Office, the Lottery has awarded the $555,152 prize to Mario Colin, a Sacramento resident.
“When I gave the cashier my ticket and I only got $4 back, I knew there had been a mistake, because I had memorized my numbers and knew I had won more than $4. I am very happy and I had no doubt that justice would be made. The Lottery agents and staff treated me with the utmost respect and I wanted to cooperate fully in the investigation,” said Mr. Colin. “I’ve never had any lucky experiences like this one, but feel blessed. I hope to save my money and maybe invest in a trailer to transport livestock for my dream business, which is a meat market. I truly feel blessed and thanked everyone for all their assistance!”
On the morning of Tuesday, August 21, the California Lottery received a complaint from one of its customers regarding a possible crime involving theft of a Lottery ticket. The Lottery takes its customers’ concerns very seriously and acted on this call without delay. The California Lottery’s Security and Law Enforcement Division immediately opened an investigation into the complaint and visited the retail location (1900 A Douglas Blvd in Roseville), assisted by Roseville Police Department. During the course of their investigation that day, enough evidence was gathered to arrest a clerk from the retailer location, Rajinder Kaur. Kaur was booked into Placer County Jail on Tuesday, August 21, on charges of grand theft just hours after the Lottery received the initial complaint.
“The California Lottery takes the integrity of our operations, our player's confidence and the security of our games very seriously. I am proud of the swift and thorough nature of this investigation and thankful for the assistance of all the parties involved in this case,” said Lottery Director, Joan Borucki. “I am thrilled that we have reunited the rightful owner of this ticket with his prize money!”
The California Lottery would like to encourage players to sign the back of their tickets as soon as they purchase them in order to secure the safety of the ticket. This allows Lottery officials to verify the ticket’s owner quickly. If the ticket is altered in any way after being signed, an investigation is immediately launched so the rightful owner can be identified. Additionally, Lottery players should know that retail locations cannot redeem prizes over the amount of $599. If a Lottery player believes they have won a prize in excess of $599, they should immediately contact the California Lottery at 1-800-LOTTERY or visit their local California Lottery District Office (www.calottery.com/AboutUs/Locations).
The California State Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $19 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $52 billion. Retailers win too, earning $3.3 billion in compensation since 1985.