The California Lottery accidentally disclosed the home address of a $12 million lottery winner, which they described as an oversight.
The fortunate winner purchased a SuperLotto Plus ticket back in November at King Wine & Liquor located at 2346 Fruit Ridge Road in Sacramento. That ticket brought in a massive prize of $12 million.
Unfortunately, the initial announcement included the winner’s personal address instead of the store’s location, which caused quite the stir.
In response to this slip-up, the California Lottery expressed regret, noting that it could lead to privacy issues for the winners. “Protecting player privacy and ensuring accurate information is a top priority for the California Lottery,” they stated. “This has never happened before, and we’re reviewing our protocols to prevent a repeat.” They also thanked the public for their understanding during this situation.
Approximately 800 news organizations received emails that included the winner’s personal address, which was not supposed to be shared. The agency communicated that they were quick to reach out to those media outlets who got the information.
The winner, identified as Raul Cerveron de Leo, voiced his concerns about the exposure of his address in a recent interview, which took place on Tuesday. He’s now considering relocating, as he’s already purchased another home nearby. He shared some worries, mentioning his fears about “someone might do something” to his child and that “crazy people” could threaten his family’s safety.
Interestingly, Cerveron hasn’t seen anything unusual happening outside his current residence, which he rents. He plans to move in a few months and is contemplating legal action against the lottery company for the breach of privacy.
He typically buys lottery tickets and had been overjoyed to win, sharing that most of his winnings have been put to good use.
In California, the law requires winners to be publicly identified by their full names but doesn’t necessitate the disclosure of their addresses, which raises additional concerns about privacy. The winner, it turns out, resides in Sacramento.
