Bakersfield Man Wins $15.3 Million

A 66-year-old Bakersfield man won $15.3 million over the weekend playing lotto, California Lottery officials said Monday.

The winner was George Swirin, a retiree who picked the six main numbers drawn Saturday in the computerized game. The numbers were 41, 35, 40, 48, 6, and 13. The bonus number was 36.

Three other players picked five of the six numbers plus the bonus number to split the second-place prize of $1.6 million.

Swirin will get $615,200 a year for 20 years after taxes, lottery spokesman Bob Taylor said. The lottery deducts 20% for federal income taxes.

Lottery officials at first said the grand prize was $14.9 million, but Taylor said it totals $15.3 million because the annunity purchased for the winner was worth more than anticipated.

“We’re able to get more money for them with an annunity than if they took cash out of the jackpot pool,” Taylor said.

The $15.3-million lotto jackpot is the fifth largest in the lottery’s history. The largest was $25.1 million, won by a Los Angeles man in December, Taylor said.