‘Crazy Lady’ gives retiree winning numbers worth a small fortune!

Drawing Date: 3/10/2015

March 17, 2015 - Gloria Swanigan doesn’t make it a habit of arguing with automated voices on the telephone. And she sure wasn’t going to start considering the voice on the other end of the line was telling her she matched five of six numbers from the March 10 Mega Millions draw. Her lucky ticket was suddenly worth $1,092,958!

“I dialed the 1-800 (LOTTERY) number. And this crazy lady is giving me all my numbers,” Swanigan recalled. She thought the automated voice was pulling a prank! “I still didn’t believe it so I went to my computer and looked up my numbers on the internet. I thought at first I’d won $1,000. But then I realized there were six (zeros). And you know the rest of the story!”

It’s really an interesting story because of why Swanigan decided to check her numbers. She was up after midnight on March 12 trying to see if a $7,000 vacation separation check from the employer she’d retired from in January had been deposited into her banking account. “I worked for 33 years as a longshoreman on the (Long Beach) docks. I’d been waiting for that money. When I saw that it still hadn’t been deposited, that’s when I remembered to check my Mega Millions!”

Suddenly that $7,000 vacation check didn’t seem quite as important! “It took my mind off a whole lot,” said Swanigan who admits to battling nervous excitement. “It seems so surreal. Now I just daydream what I’m going to do with the money!”

Among other things, Swanigan says she hopes to pay off the mortgage on a condo she bought in 2007. And she’s already planning a cruise to Mexico and Central America in August. “There’s a million things I can do with the money,” laughed the 66 year old San Pedro, Calif., resident.

Swanigan invested just a dollar on a single Quick Pick® and matched the first five winning numbers (10-14-19-30-73) right up to the Mega number. The winning number from that night was 14. Unfortunately she had Mega number 8. Oh so close to what would have been the $25 million jackpot. “Dang, I’m still thinking about it. I could have bought the entire cruise ship!”

The 7-Eleven where Swanigan bought her lucky ticket (114 North Gaffey Street in San Pedro, L.A. County) wins as well. It will receive a $5,000 retail bonus just for selling the Quick Pick that helped Swanigan become a millionaire.

“I always thought in the back of my mind that I was going to hit the lottery. In fact just a couple of days ago, my sister told me I was going to win!” Swanigan admitted. So will she continue trying her luck at Mega Millions? What a silly question. “Without a doubt! I already bought another one. I play them all. I just have a deep gut feeling!”