Five California Lottery players become millionaires from Scratcher games

Five California Lottery players are the state’s newest millionaires after winning a combined total of $17 million from Scratcher games, lottery officials announced Friday.

The winners purchased their tickets at various shops across the state.

Nora Hammersteadt, who decided to stop at Anaheim Liquor In Orange County during her drive home, won $10 million after playing the Royal Riches game.

“I’ve won a few thousand dollars playing before, but nothing like this,” Hammersteadt told the California Lottery. “It was a shocker. “I was thinking, ‘This can’t be real; I must be dreaming!’ I’m going to pinch myself and wake up one of these days,”

Instead of heading straight to a California Lottery office to claim her prize, Hammersteadt waited a whole week to cash in, which she described as a week of “torture” at work.

Hammersteadt said it “got real” when she went to claim her prize at the lottery office. She told the state lottery office that’s when she realized “retirement was coming two years earlier for her.”

Ogonna Onyeje, who plays the lottery regularly, won the $2 million top prize on an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers game from the Shop-N-Go in Fresno.

Jose Reyes Ayala also won $2 million after playing the $10 Instant Prize Crossword game. The winning ticket was sold at MD Liquor & Food in Santa Rosa.  

Marilu Munoz Valazquez also won the $2 million top prize after playing the Multiplier Craze Scratchers game. The winning ticket was sold at Marathon gas station in Stanton.

Lastly, Blandina Carranza won the $1 million top prize after playing the Power 10’s Scratchers game. The winning ticket was sold at Bard Market in Oxnard.

All winning shops also received bonuses for selling the lottery games.