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San Jose 7-Eleven sold winning Mega Millions ticket
The 7-Eleven on Kooser Road in San Jose was the store that sold the winning Mega Millions ticket. The store gets a cut of the $247 million prize, about $1 million.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - 7-Eleven stores are known for selling coffee, snacks and dreams, in the form of lottery tickets. Now, the location on Kooser Road in San Jose is also known for helping to make someone’s dream come true. It's where someone purchased that lucky ticket.
There were two winning tickets for the nearly $500 million prize, and one of them was sold at this 7-Eleven. The store gets a cut of the $247 million prize, albeit much smaller, about $1 million.
"I was so happy, excited that I screamed for five minutes," said Hamideh Naderi, the owner.
The store owner said she was at a different 7-Eleven she owns when she heard the news from a customer.
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"It’s overwhelming. It’s very, very exciting. I’m so happy. I’m so thankful. I feel so lucky," said Naderi.
The owner has four 7-Eleven stores and says she wants to help improve the lives of her workers. She said she plans to share some of the windfall with her loyal employees and nearby Pioneer High School.
"I have lots of customers from Pioneer High School, teachers, and students, and this way I can give it back to them," said Naderi. "I appreciate them."
The other lucky ticket worth $247 million was sold in hurricane-ravaged Fort Myers, Florida. It was also purchased at a 7-Eleven.
The Bay Area winner remains unknown and theoretically could reveal themselves by showing up at the store at any time. Eric McGuire from Redwood City came to the store to check his ticket, wondering if he could be the winner.
"It wasn’t me," said McGuire, as he tossed his losing ticket into the trash to join the heap of previously discarded dreams.
But he said he wouldn’t be leaving the lucky store empty-handed, in the hopes history repeats itself.
"I think I’ll buy two for tonight’s Powerball," said McGuire.