SACRAMENTO – One of the two winners who matched all five winning numbers from the Fantasy 5 draw last night wasted no time claiming her prize this morning at her local Lottery district office. While she understands the public’s curiosity about her story and is willing to share the details below, she prefers to remain anonymous.
The office manager who bought her ticket in North Hollywood is on a lucky streak. She matched two numbers on Tuesday night’s Fantasy 5 draw, then took that ticket back to learn she had won a replay, which is a free “Quick Pick” ticket. She went home and last night she checked the winning numbers from Wednesday’s draw and sure enough, that free replay won her $179,749! When asked what she would do with the money, she said, “I am planning a vacation soon and now maybe I’ll stop for lobster instead of Taco Bell!”
The winning numbers were 15, 17, 19, 38 and 39. The private winner purchased her ticket at Virginia Discount Cigarettes on 10939 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood. The other was purchased at A & I Mini Mart & Gas at 246 West El Roblar in Ojai. Each winner will receive $179,749.
The California Lottery wants to remind winners to sign the back of their tickets, keep tickets in a safe place and contact Lottery officials or visit your local Lottery District Office (http://www.calottery.com/AboutUs/Locations) as soon as possible. Winners have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim prizes.
Fantasy 5 offers some of the best odds of any California Lottery game. A player wins the Fantasy 5 jackpot simply by matching five numbers out of a field of 39. The top prize starts at $50,000 and can top $500,000 depending on how many times the top prize rolls over (similar to SuperLOTTO Plus and MEGA Millions). Winning numbers are drawn every day. Tickets can be purchased from any of the more than 20,000 California Lottery retailers (www.calottery.com/locations).
More than 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 $20 billion to California schools out of total sales of nearly $55 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.5 billion in compensation since 1985.