Lottery player goes to claim $1,000 prize in California — and learns it’s much more

A California man planned to cash in a winning lottery scratcher for $1,000 to help pay his rent — until he found out he’d won much, much more, officials said.

Jeffry Figueroa, who purchased his lucky Winter Magic Multiplier scratcher for $10 at Koko’s Liquor in Los Angeles, drove to the California Lottery office in Santa Fe Springs to pick up his winnings, officials said in a Jan. 24 news release.

When he turned in the ticket, officials told him he’d actually won the game’s top prize of $1 million.

“When they told me, I was shaking so much I could barely sign the claim form,” Figueroa told lottery officials. “It was so surreal. I still can’t believe it!”

Koko’s Liquor will receive a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, officials said.

Five other California players also have won $1 million or more on scratchers since the start of 2025, lottery officials said.

This story was originally published January 26, 2025 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Lottery player goes to claim $1,000 prize in California — and learns it’s much more."