Modesto man wins $10 million just one minute after winning $1,000 in lottery scratcher

Rodney Meadows was running errands when he decided to pick up a few lottery scratchers at the Fast Mart.

After a few quick swipes on one $30 ticket, he scored an easy grand.

Emboldened by his good fortune, the Modesto resident decided to “let it ride” and plunked down 90 bucks for another three tickets.

As Meadows rubbed his way through the scratchers, he stared in amazement: He was suddenly a millionaire.

According to California Lottery officials, Meadows is one of just four people to ever win $10 million playing a 30th Anniversary ticket.

Talk about luck.

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“I could not believe it. I had to ask the clerk at the store, and he said, ‘You better check it again on the machine,’ ” Meadows told lottery officials of his Nov. 23 win.

Actually, lottery officials say the odds of winning big with a $30, 30th Anniversary scratcher are much better than with other games.

Meadows had a 1-in-3-million chance of winning the top prize with his scratcher, said lottery spokesman Greg Parashak. If he bought a $2 Powerball ticket, he faced 1-in-293-million odds of winning the jackpot.

Prior to his big windfall last week, Meadows had won $1,000 on two tickets in the past. He told lottery officials that he didn’t have any plans yet for his winnings.

The Modesto convenience store will get $50,000 for selling the winning scratcher, Parashak said.

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