Atwater woman wins $10 million on California lottery ticket sold at mini mart
An Atwater woman is $10 million richer after purchasing a scratch-off California lottery ticket at a local convenience store.
Shaan Ganodotra, who owns Shannon’s Mini Mart, located at 1100 Schaeffer Road in Atwater, described the woman as a local customer.
“She comes here all the time,” Ganodotra said. “She probably spends a couple hundred dollars and comes in every three or four days.”
The ticket was sold on Feb. 13 and a representative from the California Lottery informed Ganodotra that a $10 million winning scratcher was sold at that location.
A sign that reads, “Millionaire made here,” now hangs in front of the store.
Ganodotra says the customer scratched off the $30 scratcher in the store, hitting the 200-time jackpot worth $10 million.
“She scratched it off here and checked it in the machine,” Ganodotra said. “The machine just tells you to fill out (paperwork). It was a crazy reaction.. She put in the machine and at first she couldn’t believe it.”
Ganodotra says he’s helped run two stores in Merced and never seen anyone win anything close to that prize. He said he’s seen people win $25,000 or $50,000.
“It’s great, someone winning from Atwater,” Ganodotra said. “We’ve only been open for 11 months here and someone coming out of here, winning $10 million is huge. That’s a lucky retailer.”
Ganodotra says customers have been talking about the big win every day.
“Sales have doubled because people have heard about it,” Gaonodotra said. “This is the spot to buy tickets. If you’re giving a million dollar winner it could happen, you can be the next one.”
The store will also be awarded a percentage of the prize per California Lottery rules.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 6:32 PM.
