Newport Beach man wins lotto

Elia Powers

Talk about a worthwhile read.

Two days after purchasing a lottery ticket from an Orange 7-Eleven

store, Newport Beach resident Colin McLean noticed in the newspaper

that his numbers matched the winning ones from Jan. 12, making him

the sole winner of the $81-million SuperLotto Plus jackpot.

“I was in shock when I realized I had purchased the winning

lottery ticket,” McLean said in a statement released by his lawyer.

“I feel blessed and sense that God has given me an opportunity

that very few people receive.”

McLean, 25, moved to Newport Beach last summer. He identified

himself as a three-year employee of a company that provides data

information for the real estate industry.

In the statement, McLean said he plans to donate a portion of his

winnings to tsunami victims.

Through his lawyer, he has declined to be interviewed by the

media. “With everything going on in the world, I think it is

inappropriate to gain notoriety for this,” he said in the statement.

According to lottery officials, McLean will receive 26 annual

payments -- the first of $2.025 million, before federal tax

withholdings, and the final payout of $4.131 million. The 7-Eleven

store will receive $405,000 as a bonus for selling the winning

ticket.

California’s public schools will receive $51 million in money

associated with the drawing.

McLean, who purchased the $4 ticket and chose the numbers himself,

said in the statement that he only buys lottery tickets when the

stakes are high.

He said he plans to take an extended vacation and isn’t sure about

his future career moves.