Monterey County family wins big with lottery scratcher on Friday the 13th

After leaving work on Friday, January 13, Clinton Sapiro realized he needed to stop and get gasoline on the way home, said lottery officials.

While there were a handful of gas stations in Pacific Grove to choose from, Sapiro ended up stopping at the Chevron in Forest Avenue.

According to lottery officials, while pumping gas, Sapiro bought a scratcher for $20. Sapiro scratched all the boxes and realized he won another scratcher, and since he was already there, he figured he would go back inside to get his free ticket.

“Yes, went back in to turn in a free ticket, and the next one was the big one!” said Sapiro.

Sapiro said he was a little grumpy on that particular day because he’d been counting on some overtime work at his job that didn’t end up happening.

Just to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him, Sapiro said he took his winning ticket to a nearby grocery store to have it scanned. “I wanted to verify it! But I told the clerk, ‘Please be quiet about it. Don’t be like, ‘Oh my God,’ and tell everybody.’

According to lottery officials, Sapiro will receive his $5 million prize in $200,000 annual installments, which means less federal taxes, over the next 25 years.

Sapiro had the option of taking a lump sum cash payment of $2.9 million. He said he hopes he and his wife can buy a house now. They also said they would like to pay off debt, put some money away for their children’s education and save the rest.

The Chevron where Sapiro stopped to get gas will receive a $25,000 retailer bonus just for selling the winning ticket, said lottery officials.