Lightning struck six times for Fantasy 5 players last week, as six California Lottery tickets matched all five numbers and turned everyday errands into nearly $750,000 in prize money. The lucky slips were sold at ordinary neighborhood spots — delis, gas stations and grocery stores — from the Bay Area down to Southern California.
Where the winning tickets were sold
According to The Sacramento Bee, the winning tickets turned up at Quik Stop in Stockton ($168,563), Safeway in Santa Clara ($176,307), a Shell station in Tulare ($111,531), Royal Deli in Los Angeles ($111,531), Safeway in Hayward ($111,531) and Nickey’s Liquor Mart in Garden Grove ($65,489). All six winners hit between last Monday (March 16) and last Saturday (March 21).
How Fantasy 5 works
Fantasy 5 is a $1-per-play daily draw game held after the 6:30 p.m. entry cutoff. Players who match all five numbers split the top prize, while smaller prizes go to those who match fewer numbers. Winners have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim their money, and any prize over $599 has to be processed at a Lottery District Office, according to the California Lottery.
Retailers get a small bonus
The stores that sold these top-prize tickets did not walk away empty-handed. Retailers earn a sales bonus of about 0.5% of the winning amount, which comes out to a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the prize. For instance, the $176,307 winning ticket sold at Safeway would earn the store around $880, a small windfall that often brings a short burst of buzz and extra foot traffic, according to The Sacramento Bee.
A busy stretch for Fantasy 5 winners
The hot streak follows an earlier run this month in which multiple Fantasy 5 players split about $465,973 in prize money statewide. Hoodline tracked that wave of wins in a March 11 recap.
If you bought a Fantasy 5 ticket in any of last week’s draws, now is the moment to dig it out and check your numbers. You can contact the California Lottery or a District Office to confirm any win and figure out how to claim, per the California Lottery.
