A California man became an instant millionaire for selling one of two winning Mega Millions tickets at his store — which he just bought four months ago.
Thuy Nguyen told NBC News that he rushed over to his Jenny’s Gift Shop late Tuesday, when he learned that one winner of the $636 million jackpot bought the lucky ticket at the San Jose store.
“I feel good! I feel good!” the Vietnamese immigrant told the news station. “I don’t even know. I cannot sleep tonight.”
The identity of the winner was not immediately revealed, but Nguyen said he likely knows the person.
“Mostly my customer here is my friend,” said Nguyen, who won a cool $1 million for selling the ticket.
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Mega Millions Executive Director Paula Otto said the second lucky ticket was sold at a Gateway Newsstand in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia.
The store’s owner, Young Soo Lee, said she was ecstatic.
“I’m so excited and so happy now,” she said. “I love my store and the customer now.”
Soo Lee told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she believes the ticket was sold to a group of people who pooled their money.
The winning numbers — 8, 14, 17, 20, 39 and Mega Ball 7 — were announced late Tuesday.
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The jackpot has continued to grow since Oct. 4, after 22 draws came and went without winners, Otto said. The pot was the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
The mystery winners can choose to be paid about $318 million over time, or receive a one-time payout of about $170.5 million, officials said.
Mega Millions changed its rules back in October by lowering the odds of winning the top prize in order to increase jackpots.
The chances now of hitting the lucky numbers are about 1 in 259 million. It used to be about 1 in 176 million, similar odds of winning a Powerball jackpot.
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