California Lottery Mistake Exposes $12M Winner’s Home Address
A simple lottery win turned into a stressful situation after a major slip-up by the California Lottery.
Here’s what happened:
- A lucky player scored a $12 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot in November
- The winning ticket was purchased at a liquor store in Sacramento
- But instead of listing the store’s address… the lottery accidentally shared the winner’s home address
The mistake didn’t go unnoticed. The agency later admitted the error, calling it an accident and emphasizing that player privacy is a top priority. They also said this kind of issue has never happened before and promised to review their process to prevent it from happening again.
The incorrect information was sent out in an email to around 800 media outlets. Once the error was discovered, officials said they quickly reached out to those newsrooms to fix it.
The winner, Raul Servellon de Leo, was only recently identified—and he’s understandably shaken. A plumber by trade, he shared concerns about his family’s safety after his personal address was exposed.
His biggest worries:
- Potential threats to his children
- Unwanted attention from strangers
- General safety risks tied to sudden public exposure
He mentioned he’s already planning a move and has bought a new home nearby. While he hasn’t noticed anything suspicious so far, the situation has left him uneasy.
