New Jersey native recently moved to San Diego
Includes video report
Updated: Jan. 8, 2008 at 7:47 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — The $47 million winner of the Mega Millions lottery game was all smiles Wednesday afternoon when he claimed his winnings and was introduced at a news conference as Todd Moitz, California Lottery officials said.
Moitz, a 24-year-old former Farmer's Insurance agent, said he's overwhelmed by the news and hasn't yet decided what to do with the windfall.
He has elected the cash option, which is worth $32 million before taxes.
"Cash is king," Moitz said, explaining his choice for the payment option.
Moitz bought the ticket at a 7-Eleven on Cass Street near Loring Street in Pacific Beach, where he lives. The winning numbers: 2, 11, 19, 21, 34 and the Mega number 38, were announced Friday night.
He said he typically buys $2 for two tickets, and he chooses the lottery numbers to play. He typically plays the day of the drawing and didn't expect to win.
Moitz said he discovered his riches Saturday morning when he checked the numbers on a website and did "a double-take." [Editor: still trying to determine which website he checked.]
"You never actually expect (the numbers) to actually land," he said. "It's surreal. It's a dream come true."
Moitz said he pounded on his roommate's door and had him verify the numbers matched those drawn.
Since then, Moitz said he's been texting and calling relatives to share the news.
Despite his openness, Moitz declined to state his dating status.
The University of Delaware graduate who moved to San Diego from New Jersey in August chuckled when he said he had studied business.
"It's the best time of my life," said Moitz, who also drives a Zamboni at the San Diego Ice Arena in Mira Mesa. "I love this city."
He avoided questions about what his first big purchase might be, where he might settle down, and his relationship status.
Nor was he sure of his future work plans.
"I really don't know," Moitz said.
Flanked by his parents and sister during the news conference, Moitz said his mind is running "a mile a minute."
"I have to wait for it to slow down to a normal speed before I can make a rational decision," Moitz said. Regardless of what he does with the money, he said his family would be taken care of.
Charles Rich, a lottery sales manager, praised Moitz, a University of Delaware graduate who studied finance and marketing.
"I feel very confident he'll do well with this," Rich said. "I don't think he'll have any problems."
But will Moitz remain among the one-third of local residents who buy lottery tickets?
"Of course," he said.
The store is also expected to receive $230,000, a ½ percent share of the jackpot.
Store owner Palvinder Hundal, who has owned the store for three years, said it's the first time a winning number was purchased there.
Hundal said he would share some of the money with his employees and some would help pay school costs for his children.
Mega Millions is a multi-state game played in twelve states and has drawings on Tuesdays and Fridays.
VIDEO: Watch the report
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Congrats from one Jersey native to another.
Having just turned 20 a couple months ago, it's good to hear when someone younger gets to win the jackpot, it always seems to be people who are middle-aged and older and already have most of what they want out of life, and don't desire to make much change. Not to say they don't deserve it by any stretch, it's just that I haven't seen a single story with anyone under 30-40 years of age hitting a jackpot until now. Cool story.
That should work out well he studied finance in college. Congrats to him!
it always seems to be people who are middle-aged and older
Most likely because that's the bulk of the lottery players right there.
Winning at 24 will leave many more years of great adventures!!
This is truly an inspiring story for any young lottery players who are feeling discouraged about winning: luck and patience are key ingredients. Yes, most older winners win because they probably play more regularly.
PLEASE>lp>:
hlp explan dis win 2 UR>>?
favaront poster>>>>>>>>>!
psykomo^^^^^^^^^^^^^^!!
was D ##'s a QP?????????!
WAS it Hi$>Hi$>PICK'$$$!!
THANK'ssssssssssssss!!!!!
Don't worry, plenty of people from all ages win. There are lots of stories posted in LP's news section about 20-somethings winning over the years.
If older folks tend to win more, it's purely a function of more older people playing the lottery. Same goes for male vs. female, area of the country, cities vs. suburbs vs. rural areas, etc. It's a very predictable fact that people who play more often win more often.
See the previous news story about the guy from Colorado for a great example of that!
Congrats to the winner. I just read that the first person in FL to come forward with a PB winner is 22 years old. He won $50,000 because he spent the extra $1 and got 4 out of 5 and the PB. Age doesn't matter to the lottery fairy. Unfortunately for me, the tooth fairy has an age limit.
Quick Picks!
I use to live about 5 minutes from where this guy won. Congrats to this guy and I wish him all the luck.
He picks his own numbers. Usually 2 plays at a time.
I thought so too, but got confirmation from different outlets that they were random picks.
from MSNBC:
At a news conference Wednesday, Moitz explained that he played random numbers that just happened to match the winning combination, 2, 11, 19, 21, 34 and the Mega number 38 in Friday's draw.
Go to www.signonsandiego.com and watch the link with the video. He says there that he spends two bucks at a time and fills out his tickets at the 7-11 shortly before the draw. Using his own numbers. He said they all came together at one time!
I was a little confused as well because I watched his press conference and he says every since he lived in San Diego he goes and pays $2 and he picks his own numbers. Todd has better connections then I do so I believe him.
Yeah, that's the same video that is available on this news story at Lottery Post.
Yes, he chooses the numbers, the news sources were wrong.
My sources were wrong. I watched the video on the Lottery Post story again, and he said he picked 'em. Sorry for the confusion.
Winning at that young an age make the prize twice as nice.
Not sure why he decided to have a press conference. I wouldn't want that publicity.
Definetly. Winning at a younger age is the best. Hopefully I win the lottery soon myself lol. Yeah I don't know why he chose the conference but I guess some people don't mind at all.
One good reason is, I would be willing to bet a few girls might recognize him and could come up to him in the bar. A huge negative would be, there are ALOT of desparate people these days looking for money.
I'm thinking WOW when I hear he picked his own numbers. Did anyone hear how he came up with his numbers? His own system? Important dates? Set numbers he's played for a year? What LUCK!
I haven't had any luck with qp's..I too buy just about $2 worth and my numbers ALWAYS seem to be like this:
A: 1, 28, 29, 30,45,-X
B: 13, 23, 24, 41, 42-X
I know any number combo can win..but I do seem to feel like a loser when I see these numbers. So far, my tickets have been just like this. That includes Wa. Lotto too. Geez.
Anyway..Congrats to him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hundal said he would share some of the money with his employees
What a nice guy!!! I love to hear this :)
good to hear a young guy winning millions and not some 70 plus year old who has lung cancer
good luck and hopes he make smart decisions in his spending.
"Moitz said he pounded on his roommate's door and had him verify the numbers matched those drawn.
Since then, Moitz said he's been texting and calling relatives to share the news."
Not a good idea! He should have kept quiet. He will be inundated with pleas for 'help', from family and friends and people he doesn't know. He should have got a good lawyer and tried to remain anonymous. I wish him the best and I hope he invested the vast majority of it for the future. while $32 million before taxes is a lot of money, if it's not managed well it can dwindle away very quickly.
Wow...I agree. I have more hope on Mega Millions now, I am young myself and I will win at this age so that I can have many adventures and help my family and friends out. Congratulations for the win...I am next, but I have to wait for the jackpot to grow again...I have my numbers ready to be announced. I have been playing ever since I turned 18 years.
Disagree. I'm happy for him, but winning a lot of money after you've worked all your life to provide for your family can't be any less rewarding. Can it?
That is wonderful news! Happy he won!!! Maybe one us will win soon too!
Man, I am really happy for him. He has many years ahead to enjoy his winning.
I am studying Business Major also. I wish that happens on me.
Sometimes I think that only people with a good story about their lottery purchases would win, such as a honey moon trip, a compelling feeling to purchase, advanced prinited-out tickets, birthday numbers. For many times, I wanted to tell my story to the world too. I purchased lottery tickets in a place I loved to visit, Foster City in CA. I purchased lottery when I filled up my tank, when I bought cold medicine for my Mom, when I travelled to Oregon. Most likely, however, I never won even $1.
I remember one time in Oregon, I purchased a Powerball ticket that had been printed out in advanced. That night I could bearly sleep in the Westin Hotel in Ashland, Oregon. My heart was pounding all night. I thought this was it. My chance had come. When morning came, I was disappointed; the jackpot rolled over $220 millions. I bought more tickets on the following Sunday morning with Multi-draw. Yet, luck was not on my side. Still I did not win.
Now, I think that any reason would be a good story once you have the winning ticket in hand. It's a good story because it's a winner story.
PS: Is Multi-draw an option for naive people? what if the drawing computer scans your multi-draw numbers and avoid to draw that numbers.
Congrats to him! He must be feeling really good right now.
His accounting/finance classes paid off. I can't remember how many times during those classes I heard the phrase "Cash is King". Good thing he learned from it. haha
Brad
Can I be anonymous when I win?
California state law requires that the California State Lottery to release the following information: your name, and the name and location of the retailer where you bought your ticket. You may request no media coverage aside from that.
California Lottery website
I find is crazy that US lotteries require winners to disclose their names, that turns people into sitting ducks. NSW Lotteries allow winners to remain anonymous. Prize amounts and where the ticket was purchased are published and they may say how the winner reacted to the news and how they intend to spend it, but winners are allowed to remain anonymous and 99% choose that option.
myturn, you live in Australia and the NSW Lotteries obviously care about annonymity -- unless the winners do not want to remain anonymous. Unlike the US Lottery official empty heads, all they want is publicity and if the winners are hounded, so be it!
A winner in New Mexico is not required to do a news conference. However, your name, prize amount, and ticket purchase are public knowledge. Of course, your address and telephone number are not public information. When I win, I am opting for no news conference, period!
I always love it when a young person wins. I know Todd says that older people win because that age bracket plays more, but it still gives me a bit of hope. I'm not sure about the genuis involved in having a press conference and telling everybody in sight, but who knows...maybe his friends and family are different (anything's possible right...espically after you've won the lottery).
what if the drawing computer scans your multi-draw numbers and avoid to draw that numbers.
There is no way for the lottery folks to avoid drawing any numbers.
I find is crazy that US lotteries require winners to disclose their names, that turns people into sitting ducks
It does have it's down sides, but the positive side is that the public knows the drawing is not corrupt. If every winner was to remain anonymous, it would be much easier to hide if dirty lottery CEO's were paying themselves out repeatedly. No one would know.
wow, 24 years old, i know he must be on cloud 9 10 and 11, im close to his age, so i can only imagine how he feels and all the opportunites running through his mind!!
Anyone would rather win when they are 24 than when they were in their 40s or 50s. You are alone if you disagree.
You are the same person that wouldn't want to win more than a few millions. You are alone there too.
I am sure it would be very nice to win at any age, but the sooner you win, the more years you have to enjoy it.
Yes, that's true, but how do you really know that? What about all the lottery winners who blew it in a short time or whose wealth led to their demise? Although statistically someone 24 will live much longer than someone 64, there are never any guarantees. I'm only in my 50s and I've lost friends to cancer or a tragic accident. Yet I also know people in their 80s who are healthy & active.
Well, it's silly to belabor this issue, since it is supposed to be a happy thread, but I only made my last comment because I've read many posts over the years that suggest older people don't have the same right to a comfortable life. Although nobody "deserves" to win more than anyone else, IMO most older people would appreciate a windfall more, since they've paid the price..so to speak. Someone just out of school or the Paris Hilton type who is born into wealth, will never learn what it's like to struggle to make ends meet or make sacrifices for his kids or to take care of an ailing parent. Sometimes that's where a person gets his strength.
Just because you are middle-aged doesn't mean that you already have most of what you want out of life!
Maybe you have lost your job, and can't get one because you are middle-aged.
Maybe you have been chronically ill for 22 years and are now disabled.
Maybe most of what you have wanted to do has always been out of reach, and that is why you play.
I believe that my story would be"cool' too.
I am very happy for this young man and hope he enjoys his winnings. I have a feeling though, he will come to regret that press conference. There are just too many unscrupulous people out there who will do their best to seperate him from his money. I have read so many stories about lotttery winners who say if they could do it all over again, the one thing they would do differently is to keep quiet about winning.
I have noticed that on the California Lottery Website it says that they are required by law to release a winner's name, the amount won and the loacation the ticket was purchased. Yet, in the "media" section, there are statements released by the lottery saying the winner wishes to remain anonymous. Anyone know whether a winner in California can claim thier winnings anonymously.
justxploring, I have also responded on this post regarding the arrogance of some writers who assume that older players don't deserve to win as younger players do.
Although the 24 winner may have longevity on his side, the quality of his life, in my opinion, will be or should be remembered at the end of his days.
Finally, as justxploring mentioned: "most older people would appreciate a windfall more, since they've paid the price...so to speak." These are powerful and poigant words...advice to all younger players.
justxploring's opinions always sound very thoughtful. I wish my brain can easily come up with meaningful and concise statements like hers. It would be helpful to my English essays. The downside is that English is my second language, and I often hang out with folks speaking my native language.