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California woman wins $10 million lottery prize after accidental button push

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(KGTV) -- A Southern California woman is $10 million richer thanks to an accidental button push at a California Lottery Scratchers vending machine.

California Lottery officials said LaQuedra Edwards was at a Tarzana-area Vons grocery store in November 2021 when she put $40 into a Scratchers machine.

Edwards was trying to decide which games she wanted to play when she said “some rude person” bumped into her, causing her to accidentally purchase a $30 200X Scratchers ticket.

According to Edwards, she did not plan to play that particular game, adding, “He just bumped into me, didn’t say a thing and just walked out the door.”

The situation left Edwards upset, but little did she know, the interaction with the stranger would change her life.

Edwards got into her car and then scratched the ticket. The result was the game’s top prize of $10 million.

In a news release from lottery officials, Edwards stated, “I didn’t really believe it at first, but I got on the 405 freeway and kept looking down at (the ticket), and I almost crashed my car. I pulled over, looked at it again and again, scanned it with my (California Lottery mobile) app, and I just kept thinking this can’t be right.”

She added, “I’m still in shock. All I remember saying once I found out how much I just won was, ‘I’m rich!’”

According to lottery officials, Edwards plans to use the prize money to purchase a home and start a nonprofit organization.

The Vons store where Edwards bought the Scratcher received $50,000 for selling the winning ticket.