Sacramento – This week the California Lottery’s Big Spin® Show presents the “Best of the Big Spin,” highlighting winners in 2007. This year alone, the Big Spin has given away $17,872,500 in prizes, and that’s why it’s the biggest money game show on earth! The show aired statewide Saturday, December 29, 2007.
Coincidentally, the five biggest winners of the year, all winning at least a million dollars, came from the Aces High game where the players had to beat out nine other contestants to get to the Big Spin wheel. But once they got there, they made the most of it! The first million dollar winner of the year was Arturo Peña from Lake Forest won $1 million in May. Peña was overcome with happiness, “I am definitely quitting my second job and spending more time with my family.” He also wanted to purchase a home and add a second car to their family. After winning, Peña called his wife to give her the good news and her comment was “stop joking.” Even she couldn’t believe it!
In August, Randy Miller, a carpenter from Pioneer, became the next millionaire on the Big Spin. Wondering how this millionaire planned to spend his winnings? “I’m buying a new truck and giving my old truck to my wife, building a garage and doing some traveling,” said Miller. “My wife wants to visit Africa and I want to fish in Alaska, I’m sure we’ll do both!”
In October, Dorothy Mosqueda, a health aid worker and a bus driver from Tulare, became the Big Spin show’s next millionaire. Mr. Mosqueda was overwhelmed with emotion. “We are raising our six grandchildren and we could really use this money,” said Mr. Mosqueda. Retirement is in the near future for Mosqueda, who recently received a well deserved award for 25 years of service as a school bus driver. After retirement Mosqueda wanted to travel to Mexico to visit a priest that has helped her in the past and donate to his church.
Ramon Hernandez Romano, a truck driver from Los Angeles, appeared in December as one of the last contestants on the Big Spin where he also won $1,000,000! He planned to show off his Christmas spirit by helping the poor and by helping his 2 daughters, one of whom is due with his 5th grandchild any day now!
The contestant who won the largest sum of money this year actually appeared back in April when Claude Coleman of Eureka won $3,000,000. When he gave a turn of the Big Spin wheel, excitement filled the air when the ball landed on the “TRIPLE” spoke, giving him the opportunity to triple his prize. When the ball landed on the “$1 MILLION” spoke, giving Coleman a $3 million prize, he couldn’t stop the tears from falling! Coleman, a father of four sons, owns his own private medical assisting school. “I’m probably going to upgrade the school and open another school in Crescent.” His son was also thinking of a trip to Hawaii!
Over 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California 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 $19.6 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $53.25 billion. Retailers win too, earning $3.4 billion in compensation since 1985.