Sister wins $1 million lottery prize after sending brother on errand to buy ticket from Corona store
"I'm going to buy my brother a new car," the woman said.
CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A California Lottery player who gave her brother some money to pick up a Scratchers ticket for her at a store in Corona is $1 million richer.
"Once in a while I give my brother $20, and, because I know he loves to buy tickets, I tell him to buy me a ticket," said the woman, identified in a Lottery news release as J. Garcia.
Late last year, Garcia's brother called from Cardenas Market on Lincoln Avenue to let her know he had her ticket. Garcia told him to go ahead and scratch it because, if it was only $5 or a free play, she didn't want to have to drive back to the store for another ticket or a small win.
"I think you won," he told her over the phone.
"No," she said, the way one might say it to a brother teasing you.
He sent her a picture of the ticket, but she still didn't believe it. When she got home, he showed it to her along with the claim forms he downloaded. She still didn't believe she'd won.
"I went to the California Lottery office, and they told me, 'Yeah, you won!'" she said with a laugh. "That's when it hit me."
Garcia said she has been playing Scratchers games for about five years and prefers the Lottery's "Loteria" games because, as a child, she played the original game that inspired the series of "Loteria" Scratchers games.
"I play it because I understand that game," she said.
When asked about her plans for the money, she said she plans to possibly buy an income property.
But first, she said, "I'm going to buy my brother a new car."
