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Antioch Musician Wins $250K Scratchers Ticket

ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- An Antioch man is now $250,000 richer after purchasing a winning Scratchers ticket, state lottery officials said Friday.

Tommy Arviso bought the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven store at 4355 Hillcrest Ave. in Antioch.

At first, Arviso said he didn't realize he'd won the top Scratchers prize.

"I thought I'd won only $25," he said.

It was only after the Antioch man recovered the ticket from a family member who was about to toss it in the trash that he realized he'd won, lotto officials said.

As a musician in a tough economy, Arviso said the winnings couldn't come at a better time.

He said he would first use the earnings to help his family and invest in his home and then plans to upgrade his beloved Fender base guitar.

The California Lottery Black Scratchers ticket offers 20 $250,000 prizes annually. Lotto official say odds of winning the top prize are about 1 in 1.2 million.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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