Costa Mesa Man Hits $1 Million in ‘Big Spin’

SACRAMENTO â€”  When Larry Boykin heard that he would be a finalist on California Lottery’s “The Big Spin,â€� he predicted he would win the $10,000 minimum prize.

His friend and real estate broker, Arlene Simmons, was, however, a little more optimistic. Simmons predicted that the 42-year-old Costa Mesa man would win $1 million.

She and her boyfriend then made reservations to travel to Sacramento to root for Boykin.

Sure enough--the lights flashed and Simmons and others shrieked as Boykin’s spin of the wheel stopped at the $1-million mark.

“I’m ecstatic, I’m overwhelmed and I’m in awe,� Boykin said shortly after his winning spin Saturday. “When I walk out of this building, I’ll probably scream. Then, I’ll make a down payment on a new house in Newport Beach.�

Boykin, who lives in an apartment in Costa Mesa, will receive 20 annual net payments of $40,000 for the next 20 years. He is regional manager for an equipment rental firm in Anaheim.

Boykin had a winning spin ticket from the “Joker’s Wild� scratcher game that he had bought from a 7-Eleven store in Anaheim. He also won $500,000 for his “Spin Pal,� Becky Jensen, 31, of Ventura. The “Spin Pal� is paired with one of the finalists and wins an amount equal to half of that won by the wheel spinner.

“She (Jensen) is thanking me but I still cannot believe that I won . . . until they handed me this check,� said the father of two sons.

But Simmons said she was not surprised at “Larry’s luck.�

“I believe in meditation and I had a powerful feeling that he was going to win,� Simmons said.

“I don’t make predictions on an ongoing basis. I try to listen to what my feelings and intuition tell me,� she continued, noting that Boykin had twice won $5,000 while playing the slot machines.