Texas man ‘prayed to God to win the lottery’ before scoring jackpot on scratch ticket

An El Paso man has big plans after winning a major jackpot on a Texas Lottery scratch-off ticket, officials said Wednesday.

Gonzalez Salcido bought a Golden Riches scratch-off ticket at an El Paso Albertsons. After scratching off the ticket and discovering he’d won, Salcido told lottery officials he was overcome with emotion.

Why? He won the last of the Golden Riches game’s four top prizes: a cool $1 million.

“[A top lottery prize] was something I never thought I would win,” he told lottery officials. “I prayed to God to win the lottery and my prayers were answered.”

Salcido said he immediately called his family to share the good news, telling his wife the win meant they could pay off their home.

He also plans to put some of the winnings toward business debt — his business took a 60% hit in profits due to the coronavirus pandemic — and to donate to charities while setting some money aside in savings.

This win isn’t Salcido’s first stroke of lottery luck — the frequent lottery player said he’s won his “share of $1,000 and $500 prizes,” but nothing of this magnitude.