California woman, formerly homeless, wins $5 million in lottery

() — A formerly homeless California woman went to a Walmart Supercenter for an oil change. As she scratched a lottery ticket, her luck and her life also changed.

Lucia Forseth won $5 million in a Scratchers game after buying a ticket at the Pittsburgh store, about 40 miles east of San Francisco, the California Lottery announced Wednesday.

Forseth said he closed his eyes and selected a bill. She opened them to discover that she had become an instant millionaire. “You never think you have a chance to win it,” Forseth said in a California Lottery news release. “It’s just random.”

At first, Forseth thought he had just won another ticket, “but I checked and it said he had won $5 million,” he said.

Her victory in the 2023 Scratchers makes her the third ticket winner in California this year. There are still two tickets of US$5 million. The odds of winning the game are 1 in 3,088,854, according to the California Lottery.

It’s a Cinderella story for Forseth, who in 2017 had nowhere to live.

“Just six years ago, when I was homeless, I never would have thought this would happen to someone like me,” he said.

Forseth said he plans to get married this year and earn his associate’s degree.

“Hearing a success story like this demonstrates the positive impact our games have on both winners and schools,” said Carolyn Becker, spokesperson for the California Lottery.