Camilla Jessen
A familiar face in a small California town just hit life’s jackpot.
On the evening of April 6, Armando Vidal walked into Sandy’s Liquor in San Luis Obispo with just $25 in his pocket.
He used the money to buy two Triple Red 777 scratchers for $10 each, along with a few smaller tickets.
1 In a 2.047 Million Chance
According to the California Lottery, there’s a 1 in 2.047 million chance of hitting the $1 million jackpot on that game.
But Vidal beat the odds.
He scratched the first ticket on the spot and won $200. The second ticket he saved for the next morning.
One Lucky Day
When Vidal returned to the store the next day, he scratched the second ticket while Wilson Samaan, the store manager, was behind the counter.
“And he’s like, ‘Oh my God, come take a look at this. Is that true?’” Samaan recalled in an interview with the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
“I grabbed the ticket out of his hand, and I put it to the machine, and I’m like ‘Oh my God!’,” he added.
“Bro, You Hit the Jackpot”
Vidal initially thought he’d won $100,000, but Samaan pointed out there was one more zero at the end. Vidal had just won $1 million.
“Bro, you hit the jackpot,” Samaan told him.
The store celebrated the win with an Instagram post: “Big congrats to our loyal customer on his $1 million jackpot winning scratch ticket at Sandy’s.”
Known and Trusted in the Community
Though homeless, Vidal is well known in the area.
Over the years, he built strong relationships with local business owners, including Samaan, who once offered him a job. Vidal declined due to a chronic knee problem that made physical labor difficult.
Still, Samaan often trusted Vidal to watch the store while he stepped away.
“He Deserves Every Penny”
“He’s a good, trustful person,” Samaan said in an interview with the LA Times. “He deserves every penny.”
When it came time to cash in the winning ticket, Samaan personally drove him to the California Lottery office in Fresno to make sure the process went smoothly.
“I was so excited – even more than him,” he added.
“I Just Can’t Wait to Get Off the Streets”
Another business owner, Adam Kemp of Thrifty Beaches in downtown San Luis Obispo, also posted about Vidal’s win.
“This man and his wife have been on the street for a long time,” Kemp wrote in an April 12 Instagram post. “They have been nice to me & Maria. I’m so happy for the both of them!”
In a video, Kemp pans the camera to Vidal holding up the winning scratcher. “My friend here just won $1 million in the lottery in SLO,” he says.
“I just can’t wait to get off the streets,” Vidal responds.
A Plan for a Second Chance
According to the LA Times, Vidal has already told Samaan what he plans to do with the money. He wants to buy a car and a small home, and then use the rest to invest or start a business.
“He said he’s not going to waste the second chance he got gifted,” Samaan said. “He’s going to make it count.”
In a world where second chances are rare, Vidal’s win isn’t just a lucky break—it’s a turning point.
This article is based on reports from the San Luis Obispo Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
