California Couple Wins Big After Playing the Lottery Continuously for 20 Years: 'What the Heck?!'

Patience is simply a virtue.

A California mates scored large aft 2 decades of trying their luck connected nan lottery, according to a news release from authorities crippled officials.

Nicholas Gercis and his woman person been longtime gamblers, playing nan lottery for 20 years. “We bargain Scratchers each week, and we started buying these 50X ones, and it was doing okay for us,” he said successful a statement.

After a fewer wins passim nan years — of “$100 and stuff” — Gercis said he and his woman precocious played a 50X nan Cash scratcher, which has a apical prize of $1 million, and won. (The California lottery told PEOPLE nan brace won nan afloat amount, minus nan required national taxation withholding, arsenic a lump sum.)

“It was just, like, you know, conscionable what nan heck?!” said Gercis aft he and his woman won, according to California lottery officials

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Gercis and his wife bought their winning lottery summons astatine a 7-Eleven connected Schleisman Road successful Eastvale, which is conscionable nether 50 miles distant from Los Angeles.

Lottery officials said nan mates would spell to "one of a fewer 7-Eleven stores successful their area each week and bargain immoderate scratchers for fun."

Gercis and his woman scheme to usage nan money won successful 3 ways: immoderate will spell to paying disconnected their house, different magnitude will spell to their church, and they will past put nan rest.

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Over nan past 40 years, nan California Lottery has funded nationalist acquisition wrong nan authorities done each lottery win.

"Raising other money for California nationalist acquisition is nan only logic nan California Lottery exists,” Carolyn Becker, spokesperson for nan organization, said successful a statement. “In 1984, voters created nan Lottery to thief retired pinch supplemental backing for Schools, and for 40 years, players person provided much than $46 cardinal successful other money utilized crossed each levels from kindergarten done university.”