A California Lottery player has become the first top-prize winner of the state’s 40th anniversary-themed Scratchers game, taking home a staggering $15 million.
Israel Martin Rodriguez scored the jackpot with a 40 Years of Play! Scratchers ticket purchased at a 7-Eleven on the corner of Oxnard Street and Woodman Avenue in Van Nuys.
The winning scratcher, which was purchased in February, also netted the store a $75,000 bonus for selling the ticket. California Lottery official Nancy Weimer presented a celebratory poster to 7-Eleven franchisee Karam Singh and store employee Massi Singh earlier this year.
The special edition scratcher game was launched on Jan. 20 to commemorate four decades since voters created the California Lottery in 1985.
The $40 ticket features prizes ranging from $40 to $15 million, with overall odds of winning better than 1 in 3, California Lottery officials said.
Only five top prizes are available, and just two have been claimed so far. The winner and selling location of the other jackpot winner have yet to be announced. The California Lottery said that information will be released “soon.”
Players interested in playing the 40th anniversary-themed game but who don’t want to spend $40 can opt for a $2 version, which offers a top prize of $40,000.
Other recent winners during the Lottery’s anniversary year include Margarito Gonzales Cortes, who won $1 million with a Triple Red 777 ticket in San Jose; Enrique Baldoni, who claimed $5 million with a Cash King ticket in Seal Beach; and Fidencio Duran Macias, who picked up a $7.5 million prize from a Crossword Extreme ticket in Huntington Beach.
More information on California Lottery games can be found at calottery.com/scratchers.