‘Superstition’ and itchy hands leads woman to buy CA lottery ticket — and a huge win
While some may think an itchy palm to be mere superstition, a California woman thought otherwise.
Elena Penaloza’s palms started itching, and she knew it could only mean one thing — “a sign of good fortune to come,” California Lottery said in an Aug. 16 news release.
“You know that superstition where when your hands get itchy, it means you’re going to get money?” the woman’s daughter, Ariana, told lottery officials.
This is the feeling Penaloza had, and a week after getting the itch, lottery officials said she bought a Diamond 8’s scratch-off ticket at a West Covina 7-Eleven.
Penaloza was four squares away from scratching off the final box on her ticket when her “good fortune” revealed itself, lottery officials said.
In the tiny square on the last row of her ticket she found “$1,000,000,” or the game’s top prize, lottery officials said.
Both she and her daughter were in disbelief, lottery officials said.
Then, lottery officials said, the pair returned to the convenience store the next day to scan the ticket and reality began to sink in.
“We walked home and were like ‘Oh my,’” Ariana said.
Ariana told lottery officials Penaloza, who plans to use her winnings to buy a home, “thinks it was fate.”
West Covina is about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 3:30 PM with the headline "‘Superstition’ and itchy hands leads woman to buy CA lottery ticket — and a huge win."
