One lucky fairgoer buys $1M winning scratcher at OC Fair

It’s always a good time at the Orange County Fair, especially for one lucky fairgoer who reportedly won a $1-million prize from a lottery scratch-off ticket purchased on the Costa Mesa fairgrounds.

A ticket sold at a booth manned by a retailer — a $10 Multiplier Craze scratcher that boasts 24 chances to win, including bonus spots and cash prizes that could be multiplied by 2, 5, 10 and 50 — served up its jackpot last Sunday, fair officials reported Thursday.

“There’s been a lottery booth at the fair for about 15 years, and there is always a line every time I walk by,� said OC Fair & Event Center CEO Michele Richards. “I don’t know if they think the fair is lucky, but it certainly was for one purchaser.�

Orange County fairgoers line up to buy lottery tickets at a booth, where a $20 purchase offers a chance to spin a wheel for free scratchers.

(Courtesy of Orange County Fair & Event Center)

Though the lucky recipient shared the news with the retailer and other fairgoers in the immediate vicinity, California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker said an official win could not be announced until the purchase and the card had been verified.

“We will not know who the winner is or whether they won until they come forward and file a claim. That begins the vetting process,� she said Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we have people coming forward to declare a win who are bad actors. In a prize of this size, especially when it’s a $1 million win, our law enforcement division assigns an officer to call and question them about their win.�

A visitor buys scratch-off tickets Thursday at an OC Fair California lottery booth, where one fairgoer won $1 million.

(Courtesy of Orange County Fair & Event Center)

Becker said the California Lottery — whose games provide about 1% of the state’s K-12 instruction funding, according to the California Department of Education — cannot directly sell tickets and instead relies on some 23,000 retail partners, who receive .05% of jackpots $1 million or more as an incentive to participate in the program.

In this case, the OC Fair lottery booth operator could receive $5,000 from last weekend’s win, which by this week was already being advertised on a poster hanging up at the booth.

Lottery officials estimate the chance of winning a prize of any level on the $10 Multiplier Craze game, including a free ticket, is 1:3.3. The odds of a cash prize are 1:612, but there is only a 1 in 1,220,542 chance of winning the full $1-million jackpot, according to the card’s prize page.

The Calfornia Lottery’s Multiplier Craze scratch-off ticket offers up to a $1 million jackpot.

(Courtesy of California Lottery)

On top of the usual odds, lottery booths that make the state and county fair circuit in California feature prize wheels that allow those who purchase $20 in tickets to spin for a chance to win free scratch-off tickets.

Richards said there’s nothing like a fairgoer essentially turning into a millionaire overnight to confirm the validity of this year’s OC Fair theme “Always a Good Time.�

“This year’s fair has been magical — people are having a fabulous time,� she said Thursday. “So, this really is icing on the cake to what’s been an incredible year so far.�