Avid lottery player gets email that leaves her ‘speechless.’ She had won big

CORRECTION: The “2nd Chance Bonus Draw” was incorrectly described as a separate game in an earlier version of this story.

The corrected story is below.

An avid lottery player won big even after her scratch-off was a losing ticket, California officials said.

Heidy Felipe, of Pasadena, bought a “40 Years of Play” lottery ticket and although that ticket didn’t win, she entered the “40 Years of Play 2nd Chance Bonus Draw,” according to an April 25 news release by the California Lottery. She landed $40,000.

The “2nd Chance” game gives players the option to potentially win even if their initial game was a dud by scanning the code on their ticket with their lottery app, officials said.

“When I saw the email, I couldn’t believe it,” Felipe told lottery officials. “The next day, I went to the Lottery office, where they confirmed it was real, and I was speechless.”

Although Felipe plays often, this was her first win, officials said.

Felipe decided to use the money toward paying off her car and “now she’s just waiting for her title to arrive.”

“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she told officials.

Pasadena is about a 10-mile drive northeast from downtown Los Angeles.

This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Avid lottery player gets email that leaves her ‘speechless.’ She had won big."