SIMI VALLEY : Man Hits Jackpot in Little Lotto Game

Simi Valley resident Bob Vick’s biggest worry used to be over the fact that he couldn’t afford to buy medical insurance for his family.

Now the self-employed carpet repairman said his main concern is what to do with the $500,000 he won this week playing Little Lotto.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said when he discovered his luck. “It was incredible.”

Vick, 32, said he learned of his winnings when he went to buy his Lotto tickets on Wednesday at the Stop N Go Market on Royal Avenue. He said the clerk handed him a card listing the winners of the Little Lotto game from the night before.

“I thought he had given me the wrong card,” Vick said, adding that he has played the lottery for several years and the most he ever won was $80.

Vick said he always uses the same numbers when he plays--1, 5, 11, 15, 30 and 32.

The numbers represent the ages of Vick and his wife, Jeanne, and their four children.

“I used to think if I won I would never tell anybody,” he said.

“But the first thing I did was tell my brother-in-law, and then I told all my neighbors.”

Vick said state lottery officials have informed him that he will receive a lump-sum check of about $400,000 after taxes.

He will be presented with the check in a ceremony at the convenience store within the next 30 days.

Vick said he will use some of the money to make improvements on his house, pay off some bills and to buy medical insurance for his family.

“Family is real important,” he said.