The 72-year-old man bought a lottery ticket to get change to tip the pizza employees.
WASHINGTON — A California man’s quick stop to grab pizza for his wife turned into a life-changing moment when a scratch-off ticket he purchased to get change for a tip ended up being worth $1 million.
McKinley Nelson, a 72-year-old retired veteran from Yolo County stopped at Winters Wine & Liquor to get change after his wife ordered a pizza from Round Table Pizza in the same building.
“I had a $100 bill. So, I got two tickets,” Nelson said in a statement shared by the California Lottery. After returning to his truck, he scratched the ticket and told his wife, “I think this one’s a million, but I’m not sure.”
The couple used the California Lottery app to verify the ticket and confirmed their massive win. “So, my wife almost had a heart attack,” Nelson said, “and then we had to go in and buy the pizza. It was all because of her, she’s the one that likes the pizza.”
Nelson has played the California Lottery for 40 years, since it was first launched in 1985, and joked that it “took a long time to win.”
With the money, the couple plans to pay off their home, set some aside, and buy a camper van so they can travel to visit family across the country.
According to the California Lottery, public schools also benefit from lottery sales with funds supporting educational programs at high schools and community colleges throughout the state. Over $46 billion has been raised since the lottery’s start.