A downtown San Luis Obispo liquor store manager says a longtime customer, who is unhoused, won $1 million on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Wilson Samman, manager of Sandy’s Liquor and Deli on Higuera Street, said the man purchased a Triple Red 7 ticket and initially believed he had won $100,000 — until Samman scanned the ticket.
“He said, 'Wilson, come over. Is that true? I'm not homeless anymore,'” Samman recalled. “I scanned the ticket on my machine and told him, ‘No, bro — you got a million dollars!’”
Samman said the man has been a loyal customer for about 15 years. He declined to share the winner’s name but described him as well known and well liked among other downtown business owners.
“He's a loyal customer. He's a good person — one of the few people I trust in the store,” Samman said.
After confirming the win, Samman said he personally drove the customer to Fresno, where the nearest California Lottery District Office is located, to begin the claims process.
A spokesperson for the California Lottery said winners must go through an interview with lottery law enforcement before receiving their prize. The process typically takes six to eight weeks or longer.
