Disrupted day leads to newfound fortune
By Kate Northrop
CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — A California woman begrudgingly went into work after being called in for Labor Day but won $1 million in the lottery because of the last-minute disruption.
A Walmart employee was none too pleased when a last-minute work call meant she had to abandon the family barbeque she had planned for Labor Day, but it was well worth it in the end.
Rebeca Gonzalez was not happy to receive a call saying she had to come for work the following day at Walmart.
"It was Labor Day, and they only needed me for three hours," Gonzalez told the California Lottery. "I wanted to obviously be home with my family because we planned to barbecue."
She got through her shift and decided to treat herself to a scratch-off lottery ticket, which, unbeknownst to her, would instantly change her mood for the better.
Gonzalez picked out a $10 "Single Double Triple" instant ticket and wound up the winner of the game's $1 million top prize.
"I'd planned on buying one on my break, but it was so busy I totally forgot," she recalled, laughing. "I didn't remember I was going to buy a [scratch-off ticket] until I left for the night and passed by the machines. I couldn't believe it!"
The winnings have already changed her life — she has finally been able to pay off all her debt, and she and her husband are in the process of closing on a new home.
However, Gonzalez is still working at Walmart.
"I've only told one person at work, and it was the manager who wanted me to stay late on a holiday," she said in a press release. "He couldn't believe it."
For selling the winning ticket, the Walmart on Gale Avenue in City of Industry receives a $5,000 bonus from the Lottery.
There are currently six out of eight top prizes of $1 million left in the $10 "Single Double Triple" scratch-off game, as well as 25 out of 42 second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 53 out of 84 third-tier prizes of $5,000.
The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.42.
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If she hadn't been called in to work, wouldn't have bought the winning ticket. Sometimes things happen for a reason.
Congratulations to the winner.
That's not the actual winning ticket.
I think it was more that she didn't buy it during her break like she intended to do. That ticket would not have been there in the position on the roll they put in those machines. She was lucky that her path out of the store took her by the machines may be more of a fortunate circumstance. Every lottery winner can point to some occurrence that won them the thing I have noticed. Especially with scratch off tickets. Like the guy in front of me bought that ticket so I mimicked him and bought the same one is a common one.
No it is not the actual winning ticket. Under the ticket, it says an example of the scratched ticket Rebecca won on
Yes, but that was just to show that particular game now has 3 numbers in every scratched off square. Most only have one number. There is no need to see the real ticket is there. They paid her so it must have happened.