San Jose shop owner is glad he sold winning Mega Millions ticket

The San Jose store owner where a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket was sold said Tuesday night that he just took over the business four months ago and is now looking at getting a portion of the $636-million jackpot.

The winning ticket -- with numbers 8, 14, 17, 20, 39 and a Mega number of 7 -- was sold at Jenny’s Gift Shop, according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News that cited a California Lottery spokesman.

Store owner Thuy Nguyen said he was called by lottery officials, who told him a winning ticket had been purchased at his business. He said he would receive about $1.5 million for selling the winning ticket.

“I just took over,” Nguyen told the Mercury News. “I am so happy. I feel good.”

It was unclear whether winning tickets were bought in other states.

“I know we got a winner in California,” lottery spokesman Alex Traverso told CNN news. “Somebody’s going to put a lot of money in their bank account real soon.”

He said the winner should sign his or her ticket and come in and claim the prize.

Earlier Tuesday, many people lined up outside stores to buy what they hoped would be a winning ticket.

Tuesday night’s jackpot began that morning at $586 million and soared to an estimated $636 million, which has a lump-sum cash payout of $341.2 million. The jump makes the jackpot the second-largest Mega Millions ever.

The largest lottery record stands at $656 million, which was split by winners from three states in 2012.

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