Costa Mesa Man Hits $1 Million in ‘Big Spin’

When Larry Boykin heard that he would be a finalist on California Lottery’s “The Big Spin,” he predicted he would win the $10,000 minimum prize.

His friend and real estate broker, Arlene Simmons, was, however, a little more optimistic. Simmons predicted that the 42-year-old Costa Mesa man would win $1 million.

She and her boyfriend then made reservations to travel to Sacramento to root for Boykin.

Sure enough--the lights flashed and Simmons and others shrieked as Boykin’s spin of the wheel stopped at the $1-million mark.

“I’m ecstatic, I’m overwhelmed and I’m in awe,” Boykin said shortly after his winning spin Saturday. “When I walk out of this building, I’ll probably scream. Then, I’ll make a down payment on a new house in Newport Beach.”

Boykin, who lives in an apartment in Costa Mesa, will receive 20 annual net payments of $40,000 for the next 20 years. He is regional manager for an equipment rental firm in Anaheim.

Boykin had a winning spin ticket from the “Joker’s Wild” scratcher game that he had bought from a 7-Eleven store in Anaheim. He also won $500,000 for his “Spin Pal,” Becky Jensen, 31, of Ventura. The “Spin Pal” is paired with one of the finalists and wins an amount equal to half of that won by the wheel spinner.

“She (Jensen) is thanking me but I still cannot believe that I won . . . until they handed me this check,” said the father of two sons.

But Simmons said she was not surprised at “Larry’s luck.”

“I believe in meditation and I had a powerful feeling that he was going to win,” Simmons said.

“I don’t make predictions on an ongoing basis. I try to listen to what my feelings and intuition tell me,” she continued, noting that Boykin had twice won $5,000 while playing the slot machines.