Million-dollar lottery ticket sold in Orange County was nearly thrown out, winner says

A Mega Millions ticket purchased on a whim nearly ended up in the trash, but instead it turned into a $1 million win for the lucky owner.

Joaquin Vaughn Redo was traveling through California with his family when they stopped at a Pavilions on Newport Coast Drive in Newport Beach. Along with their groceries, he grabbed a Mega Millions ticket, a routine family tradition when jackpots grow.

“When the pot’s big enough, the whole family gets excited and puts in whatever bites,” Vaughn Redo told the California Lottery.

Days passed, and the family forgot about the ticket until they found it two weeks later. Initially, Vaughn Redo was ready to throw it away.

“I was actually kind of going to throw them away, because I said ‘I’ve never won the lottery,’” he admitted.

But after checking the numbers, he was in disbelief. He had matched five numbers in the Aug. 16, 2024 drawing, missing only the Mega number.

Instead of being trashed, the winning Mega Millions ticket will help him with a down payment on a home, lottery officials said.

His win is just one of several recent million-dollar prizes claimed in California, including a handful in the greater Los Angeles area.

Jose Baltazar Campos won on a scratcher purchased at B&K Market in Bellflower; a player with the last name Erskine purchased a winning scratcher at a 7-Eleven in Huntington Beach; and Royer Villatoro Lopez won on a ticket bought from Jade Video in Rowland Heights.

These three, along with winners in San Diego and Santa Clara counties, all captured at least $1 million playing these scratcher games.

In total, these recent wins netted over $6 million in prizes for California Lottery players. The California Lottery says the funds purchased by players provide supplemental funding for public education efforts across the state.