Lottery player’s ‘lucky feeling’ leads him to huge Powerball win, CA officials say

A man knows “exactly why” he won a huge Powerball prize in California, lottery officials said.

Misael Cruz was one matching number away from winning a $600 million Powerball jackpot prize, according to an April 5 news release by the California Lottery.

Instead, the lucky man won $3,987,249 and has been declared California’s newest big Powerball winner, lottery officials said.

Cruz had a lucky feeling when he bought his tickets at the ARCO ampm gas station in Fontana for the Jan. 30 Powerball drawing, according to the release.

“The clerk wished me good luck,” Cruz told lottery officials. “When I was walking out the door, I said to myself, ‘what if I win?!’”

It wasn’t until Cruz was home sitting on the couch with his girlfriend the day after the drawing that his son texted him telling him to check his ticket, officials said.

Cruz, who only checks his lottery tickets every few weeks because he plays so often, buys his tickets in Fontana “all the time,” according to the release.

“He told me somebody won Powerball there,” Cruz told officials. “I looked online, and then my heart started beating fast. I turned to my girlfriend, and she didn’t believe I won because I didn’t show any emotion. I was in shock. I didn’t believe it. I had to check the numbers three times!”

Cruz, who buys a ticket every time he gets gas, told officials he knows he won big because he’s always helping people and never expects “anything in return.”

The lucky winner plans to continue to help people after securing his big win, according to the release.

“I will invest some, but this money is not going to change me as a person,” Cruz said. “I will still shop for the cheapest prices.”

Fontana is about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Lottery player’s ‘lucky feeling’ leads him to huge Powerball win, CA officials say."