Gerrard Kaonga
Winning the lottery is something that people can usually only dream of, but one lucky woman won the top prize of a scratch card... but didn't even scratch it.
Cornelia Treichel-Rocque, who lives in Sacramento, California became one of three winners for the Cloud 9 scratch ticket, according to a October 2023 press release.
The winner bought the ticket at the Raley’s on South Lower Sacramento Road in Lodi, San Joaquin County, and now she's a millionaire.
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She explained the unusual way of how she picked the ticket: “It’s funny, and this is also going to sound weird, but I bought that game because I liked the way it looked.
"I buy the ones that catch my eye, and I don’t scratch them. Hey, what can I say, I’ve worked hard to get all my little quirks!"
Even though most people would probably scratch the ticket as soon as they buy it, Treichel-Rocque instead decided to wait it out.
She told the California Lottery: "I don’t scratch them. I scan them. It’s just quicker that way. And that’s how I found out I won."
Treichel-Rocque was talking about the scanning devices that are at more than 23,000 California Lottery retail partner locations.
She explained how she initially didn’t believe she was a winner and ended up having to scan her ticket three times to be certain.
“I checked it three times. Twice one day and then I went back to Raley’s the next day and checked it again,” Treichel-Rocque added.
Despite her massive winnings, Treichel-Rocque said she intends to continue playing the Scratchers game.
“The one I’m playing now is purple. That’s my favorite color and no I'm not scratching it,” she said, joking about the latest game that has caught her eye.
While I can’t say I would do the same, some lottery winners have won big more than once.
The California Lottery stated that another individual, Jaime Medrano, also won $1 the million dollar top prize from playing the Cloud 9 Scratchers game.
His ticket was purchased at the Vons on Woodruff Avenue in Lakewood, Los Angeles County.
The Cloud 9 game cost $10 to play and hopefuls must match any of ‘your numbers’ to the winning numbers and they win that prize.
According to the California Lottery website for the game, only two of the 12 total $1 million prize tickets have been submitted.
Please gamble responsibly. For help, support and advice about problem gambling, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline on 1-800-GAMBLER, 24/7.