A Korean American has become the lucky winner of a $20 million jackpot. It was revealed that the winning lottery ticket was sold at a liquor store owned by another Korean American.
According to the California Lottery on September 19, the winning ticket for the February 3rd “SuperLotto Plus” draw, which matched all six numbers, belongs to a man identified as Hyo Suk Jang. The lottery authority confirmed that Jang purchased the ticket at the ‘Y & Y’ Market near BMO Stadium in South Los Angeles. The store is owned by 73-year-old Korean American surnamed Byun.
The winning numbers were 2, 12, 18, 20, 44, and the Mega number 4. In addition to Jang, who matched all six numbers, three other individuals who matched five numbers will each receive $12,000.
Byun, the owner of the market where the winning ticket was sold, told the Korea Daily on September 19, “The winner came to our store often, so I know who he is. I’m happy that the winning ticket came from my store. I expect to receive a $100,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.”
He added, “I’ve been running this store for 18 years, and the winner is a regular customer here. I understand he works in the clothing business.”
According to the lottery authorities, the odds of Jang winning were 1 in 41,416,353. To put this into perspective, the chance of being struck by lightning once in a lifetime is estimated at 1 in 15,300, meaning Jang’s odds were similar to being struck by lightning twice.
It has not been disclosed how Jang will receive his winnings. If he opts for the annuity option, he would receive approximately $440,000 annually after federal and state taxes over the course of 30 years.
The SuperLotto Plus tickets are priced at $1 each, with drawings held every Wednesday and Saturday. Approximately 40% of the ticket sales are allocated to California’s public education fund.
BY YOONJAE JUNG, KYEONGJUN KIM [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
