GILROY
– Make no mistake, this time Jose Hernandez was sure he had a
winner.
The Gilroyan thought he had won on a scratch ticket before, only
to find out he hadn’t. But this time, he was going to win big
– $1 million big.
GILROY – Make no mistake, this time Jose Hernandez was sure he had a winner.
The Gilroyan thought he had won on a scratch ticket before, only to find out he hadn’t. But this time, he was going to win big – $1 million big.
“I couldn’t believe it,” the 43-year-old dentist said. “I thought I had the show one time before. I sent it in, and I found out I messed up.
“This time I was double checking.”
Hernandez won a $1 million dollar prize on the California Lottery TV show, called “The Big Spin.” The show aired Saturday.
Hernandez picked up the winning scratch ticket back in December from Rose Market in San Jose, a place he often stops to pick up soft drinks or milk – and, occasionally, a lottery ticket.
“It’s close to the office,” he said. “Some days I play, others I don’t. I actually played the lotto, then I started to play ‘Scratchers.’ I got a lucky one.”
Hernandez brought the ticket home, where he said he scratched it to find it revealed the words, “Spin, Spin, Spin,” meaning he was flown down to Los Angeles to spin the largest lottery wheel in the world.
He was in such disbelief that he didn’t even tell his wife about the winner for nearly a week.
“I didn’t tell anybody,” he said, laughing. “I kept it for five days. I was kind of in shock.”
Finally, Hernandez told his wife the big news. He headed down to Rose Market and asked for the lottery forms required for big-spin winners.
“They asked me if I won anything big, and I said, no, I just need a form,” said Hernandez, who said he doesn’t want to make a big deal about winning.
However, Hernandez had to wait until February for a chance to spin the wheel – and find out exactly what he had won.
“They tape the show once a month, so I had to wait a few months,” he said. “Once you get to go to the show, you win something. The minimum on the wheel is $15,000 or $20,000.”
Hernandez was flown down to Los Angeles for the taping, and he paid to bring several family members along.
Finally, Hernandez was able to spin the wheel, and it stopped on the $1 million mark.
“I felt really happy. I’ve never won anything,” he said. “You get numb; you don’t think of anything. You just enjoy the moment.”
The first thing on his mind was making sure his 7- and 11-year-old daughters would be able to go to college, something he was lucky enough to do himself.
“The first thing is school, making sure they have everything they have to go as far as they want to go,” he said.
The winnings will be paid out over a 20-year period.
With some of the extra money, Hernandez plans to remodel his office, where his wife also works, and possibly invest some of the rest.
Hernandez has 20 years experience in dentistry. He grew up in Mexico and went to school and had his own a dental practice in Guadalajara before coming to San Jose. He moved to Gilroy three years ago.
He said he used to play the lottery in Mexico, but not as often as he plays it here; he said the lottery isn’t quite the same there.
“Oh no, it’s way less money,” he said jokingly.
