California Man Sets Scratcher Record With $20 Million Win
Thursday August 25th 2022Chad Fry, from Placer County, has set a new California Lottery record after winning $20 million on a Scratcher game. It is the biggest prize ever paid out for a scratch-off game in the state’s history.
Fry hit the top prize in the Set For Life Millionaire Edition, which launched back in February amid considerable excitement. Before it went on sale, the most that lottery fans in the Golden State could win on a Scratcher was $10 million.
Fry had not planned to buy a ticket when he stopped off at Foothill Market in Auburn after a shopping trip, but he had some extra cash after just being paid for a construction job and the impulse took him to play a scratcher.
“I had been waiting months for these people to pay me! So I had a little extra money. When I was at the counter, it grabbed my eye, so I said, ‘give me that thirty-dollar ticket,’ and that was it," he told California Lottery officials.
“I was like, hold on, let me scratch this thing really quick. I scratched the first line, got halfway through the second (line) and saw (the word) ‘LIFE!’ That’s the word players need to uncover to win one of the six record-prize tickets that are in circulation.”
Fry added that it was just starting to sink in that he was now a millionaire after he had seen ‘all those zeroes’. He is now looking forward to a bright future, with a new F250 truck at the top of his shopping list.
He decided to take the lump sum option of $11.6 million before federal taxes, rather than the annuity option where he would have been paid $800,000 a year for 25 years.
California Scratchers
The California Lottery offers a wide range of scratchers, with more than 70 games currently on sale. The cost of a ticket can be anywhere between $1 and $30, while there are a variety of jackpot amounts.
Scratchers give you the chance to win prizes instantly without having to wait for a draw like you do with a traditional lottery. The overall odds of winning a prize are also generally far better than they are for draw games.
Prizes must be claimed within 180 days of a game’s end date, while you can also submit losing tickets into 2nd Chance draws for another opportunity to win.
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