Trip ‘From Poverty to Millionaire’ Takes Just 1 Spin

They say money can’t buy happiness, but Richard Pruneau would argue the point.

The 26-year-old plumber, who grew up in Thousand Oaks, said he went from rags to riches Saturday, winning $1 million in the state lottery’s “Big Spin.”

“I’m amazed. I mean, I can’t believe I went from total poverty to millionaire,” Pruneau said in a telephone interview from Sacramento.

Pruneau said he had been unemployed for several months before moving to Orange County a month ago to take a job. While out of work, he stayed for a time in a San Bernardino County motel room; “welfare paid the bill,” he said.

Has 2 Daughters

Pruneau said he is married with two young daughters, including 6-month-old Hillary, who was born blind.

After his lottery winnings are taxed, Pruneau will get about $40,000 a year for 20 years, which will “definitely help me take care of her on a long-term basis and get the things we need for her,” he said.

In addition, Pruneau said he will “get a business going and pay back all my debts.”

Pruneau said he “just wrote a check for my last $40” to pay for a videotape of his “Big Spin” appearance. The television show was taped Saturday morning for broadcast later in the day.

Bought 1 Ticket

His appearance on the “Big Spin” resulted from his purchase of a single ticket for the lottery’s Cash Register game. The ticket paid $100 and allowed Pruneau to enter a drawing for a chance to become a “Big Spin” contestant.

Word that his name had been drawn came last week when he was out changing the gasket on the oil pan of his truck.

He knew something was up when he returned and his brother and sister were jumping up and down. “Normally, I don’t even get a hello,” he said.

“Big Spin” contestant Jennifer Byrnes, 20, of Calabasas, was not as lucky as Pruneau, but she said her $40,000 prize was “awesome” nonetheless.

The minimum “Big Spin” award is $10,000. “I was counting on $10,000 so no matter what I won, I’d be really happy,” Byrnes said.

She added: “Forty thousand dollars is a lot of money for me; I’m going to hopefully be able to put . . . a down payment on a condo or house.”