Helping Families of all Kinds on `The Big Spin®' Show

Business Wire, Oct 25, 2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Mark Bryant, who works for Homeland Security and is from Highland, left the East Coast for California almost 30 years ago. But he hasn't forgotten the family he left there or the family he's raised in the West. Unquestionably, before stepping up to the Dream Machine his family was front and center in his mind. "I'd like to help them," were Bryant's last words before the first ball dropped.

He told Lottery officials, "You have to have a smart muscle between your ears to play [the Dream Machine]." Clearly, Bryant's "smart muscle" was working. He went on to play a series of balls that resulted in a $95,000 win.

Apart from the help he pledged to his family, Bryant mentioned that he'd never been to Las Vegas. With a congenial smile -- and the realization that his dream of venturing to Las Vegas could now be a reality -- he said, "I would really like to check that out." The grand total won by Bryant and all contestants on this week's episode of the Lottery's Big Spin was $152,500.

Carrie Erskine, who manages a sports bar in Huntington Beach, loves animals and has made it a point to take in, nurture and find homes for all the strays her family encounters. "We don't find the dogs," she laughed, "they find us." After making her way up to the big wheel, cheers shot out from the audience indicating her family was just as excited as Erskine. She landed on the $25,000 spot and echoed her commitment to caring for animals, "I'm sure this will go to help all the animals we care for and my family."

Winners Summary     <                <


                    <                <


NAME                <                <  CITY

AMOUNT
Mark Bryant         <                <  Highland

$95,000
Carrie Erskine      <                <  Ontario

$25,000
Colleen Haberman    <                <  Santa

$10,000
Narciso Ballentos   <                <  Los Ang-

$5,000
Connie Montgomery   <                <  Laguna

$4,000
Donna Jones         <                <  Perris

$2,500
Teresa Lopez        <                <  Los Ang-

$2,000
Jose Rios           <                <  Reedley

$2,000
Ashley Cupino       <                <  Long Be-

$1,750
Anastasia Lispcomb  <                <  Canoga

$1,750
Stanley McKibbins   <                <  Palmdale

$1,750
Rupinder Singh      <                <  Fullert-

$1,750
TOTAL               <                <

$152,500

For high resolution photos of Mark Bryant or Carrie Erskine please contact (916) 324-9639 or e-mail newsroom@calottery.com.

More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed nearly $21 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $56 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.6 billion in compensation since 1985.

www.calottery.com