Iraqi Uses Utility Bill Figures to Win $3.9 Million in Lotto
An Iraqi immigrant won $3.9 million in the California Lottery’s weekend pick-six Lotto game by using numbers from his utility bill.
Ben Shallow, a mechanic at Gallo Glass since he moved to Modesto from Baghdad in 1974, plays 10 Lotto tickets each week, using the same combinations of numbers.
He said he started with combinations using the birth dates of his four children, then included some numbers from a Modesto Irrigation District bill.
“Nobody can understand how I picked them; there are so many numbers on a utility bill,” Shallow said Sunday as he celebrated Easter and his good fortune with his family.
The new millionaire said he may retire and travel although he likes his job making bottles for Gallo wines.
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