If he was excited with his big win, Rederick Chatman didn’t show it. The 47-year-old oil industry worker calmly walked into the California Lottery’s Santa Fe Springs District Office this afternoon to claim his prize-winning ticket worth $197,900.
He won it by matching five out of six numbers in the MEGA Millions draw last Friday. Of course, it wasn’t the jackpot, but Chatman’s prize amount is enough to make someone yell for joy. Or, is it?
Yes! Hooray! Sweet! No, those aren’t the words Chatman said he used when he checked his ticket and discovered he had won that boatload of cash. “I said, ‘Okay,’” said Chatman, explaining that there were too many people in the store. So, he quietly put his ticket in his wallet and went to work.
Even then, Chatman said he kept the news pretty much to himself. Unlike other winners who say they can’t sleep or eat just thinking about their win, Chatman said he’s been sleeping like a baby. That’s not to say he’s going to keep everything about his win low-key. Chatman said he’s going to address mostly family stuff before thinking of himself.
There is one thing he does openly express, and that’s his attitude about playing the Lottery. According to Chatman, “If you don’t play, you don’t win.” Well said!