Jackpot winner says lucky California lottery scratcher was ‘waiting for me’

A Northern California man says he felt a winning California State Lottery scratchers ticket was “waiting for me” after he won a smaller prize at the same store a day earlier.

Fernando Ayala purchased a $40 “Royal Jackpot Scratchers” ticket at a Quik Stop at 601 N. Cloverdale Blvd. in Cloverdale.in Sonoma County, which is about 129 miles northwest of Sacramento, the California State Lottery said in a Wednesday, May 27, news release.

The ticket, which had a serial number ending in 18, won Ayala a $40 prize. So he returned to the store the next day to use his winnings to play again. This time, the serial number on the scratcher ended in 17.

He won the $15 million jackpot.

“It was right there,” says Ayala. “Anybody can go and buy it – I feel like the ticket was waiting for me all night.”

Ayala said he came to California from Mexico 40 years ago.

“I came from Mexico when I was 12 years old, I was sleeping by the river and washed dishes for years, I never made this kind of money and I know how hard it is to earn a living,” Ayala said.

He said the lessons he learned from building a life in California mean more to him than the jackpot.

“I came to the United States with nothing,” Ayala said. “I worked hard, got married, raised my son and built a life. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

He plans to spend time with his family, but doesn’t plan any big changes.

“I’ve worked my entire life, and I know how hard it is to make money,” Ayala said. “I’m still going to work, still going to help people and still live my life the same way. That’s who I am.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Jackpot winner says lucky California lottery scratcher was ‘waiting for me’."