Luck strikes twice for San Francisco lottery winner
SAN FRANCISCO - On his way home from the doctor’s office on September 13, Frank Derfield decided to stop near his San Francisco home and pick up a few scratchers tickets.
He won $100,000 playing the California Lottery last summer, so what were the chances he would win one of the 100X the Money top prizes of $5 million?
“It was shock. Disbelief. I definitely defied the odds a lot more this time!” Derfield said.
California Lottery officials say Derfield defied nearly 1 in 3,000,000 odds to win $5 million.
“I had to call two friends over to the house to help calm me down!” he said.
In July 2015, Derfield defied nearly 1 in 700,000 odds when he won a second-place prize of $100,000 playing an Ultimate Riches Scratchers ticket.
The 53-year-old says that cash helped pay for his wedding this past April. “Which is why I don’t complain when he has a big pocket-full of Scratchers,” his wife said.
Now 14 months later, Derfield has won 50-times that amount – a whopping $5 million.
He purchased both of his winning tickets at the same San Francisco Lottery retailer, Liquor & Groceries, on Divisadero between Pine and Bush streets.
The store will be receiving a $25,000 bonus for selling that winning ticket.
Derfield, a part-time temp at a law firm, isn't quite sure how he will use his winnings, or if it will even be enough to buy him and his wife a house in San Francisco.
“We’re too old to go out and party too much. So we’re going to bank it, go on a trip – maybe get rid of my ‘85 Toyota Camry; or maybe a house, but I don’t know…San Francisco, the housing market is crazy here!”