Lottery Dreamers Converge on South Bay Liquor Store
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- Someone may start the New Year $370 million richer. That's how much the jackpot stood for the Mega Millions lotto drawing Friday night.
The winning numbers were: 9, 38, 37, 10 and 25 with the Mega Ball, 21.
In San Jose, where several players have turned into lucky winners in the last few years, people lined up at Ernie's liquor store to buy tickets.
Margarita Cuevas, who lives in downtown San Jose, said she and her twin sister drove out of their way just to go to Ernie's.
"If you don't play, you don't win," she said.
Ernie's Liquor Store sold a Mega Millions ticket this past July worth more a half billion dollars. The man who bought the ticket had organized an office pool with his co-workers at a local Wells Fargo and each took home more than $29 million.
Jose Mares said he'll never forget how he decided not to buy a lotto ticket that day at Ernie's, like he normally does.
"Last time I missed it there was construction on my road," Mares said. "It threw me off and I went home forgot all about it.
"My daughter called me (and said), 'Dad somebody won at Ernie's Liquors.'"
Mares said it's possible he could've been the winner that day instead of the Wells Fargo employees.
San Jose is known to pump out winning tickets. In 2014, a man won a $324 Mega Million jackpot. In 2016, another lucky winner bought a $9 million Super Lotto Plus ticket at a Chevron gas station.
So it's no surprise the South Bay KPIX crew would want to try their hand at a win, including photographer Vince Garrido, who bought three Mega Million tickets at Ernie's.
Mares said if he wins, he'd pay off his home loan and make sure the KPIX South Bay crew joins in on the celebration.
"Go on vacation and take you guys with me," he said with a smile before walking out of Ernie's with his lotto tickets.
The winner of the historic $1.5 billion Mega Million jackpot still has not come forward. The ticket was bought Oct. 23 in South Carolina and time is running out for the winner to claim his or her prize. Winners have 180 days.