A $1 million lottery winner has said there was a sign that she was going to have the huge windfall after she had ‘itchy palms’.
Far from being a reason to visit the pharmacist, Elena Penaloza, from West Covina, Los Angeles, believes the itch a week before the Scratchers ticket fell into her hands meant her $1 million win 'was fate'.
Elena's daughter, Ariana, told the California Lottery: "You know that superstition where when your hands get itchy, it means you're going to get money? She said she felt that the week before she won.
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"She thinks it was fate."
According to the California Lottery, she bought a Diamond 8's Scratchers ticket at a 7-Eleven store on North Azusa Avenue in West Covina.
Elena scratched the 16th of 20 squares and uncovered in bold numbers: $1,000,000 - realizing she'd bagged the seven-figure jackpot.
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Neither Elena nor her daughter could believe their luck at first, thinking the winning card was part of some kind of prank.
It was when they went back to the convenience store the following day to have their ticket scanned and confirm their winnings that the reality of the situation began to sink in.
Ariana recalled: "We walked home and were like 'Oh my'."
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So what is Elena planning to do with her winnings?
"My mom now wants to buy a house," her daughter shared.
Never heard the old wive's tale about itchy palms? Astrotalk explains that, according to Vedic Astrology, it's a 'lucky and prosperous omen'.
It states: "Your right-hand itching on the palm could mean that you’ll soon get some unanticipated money.
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"You might receive a financial boost, such as a raise or a new employment chance, or it might indicate that someone is about to pay you money."
Ariana also shared that her mum was thrilled that buying Scratchers tickets helps raise much-needed funds for California public schools.
“She most definitely came to America for her children’s chance for a great education," Ariana said.
“She’s happy that she’s able to help school kids.”
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The funds the Lottery transferred to public education totaled approximately $2 billion for fiscal year 2021-2022.
Amelia Jones