Lottery winner shares $1 million with sibling

Costa Mesa lottery winner Kelly Haggard and her brother Jim have a

lot more cash these days.

Haggard won $1 million with a $5 Scratcher ticket. She bought the

winning ticket Sept. 21 at the Vons supermarket on 17th Street in

Costa Mesa, California Lottery official John Bridegroom said.

Her win was commemorated Wednesday at the store where she bought

the ticket, Bridegroom said. The store received a $5,000 commission

for selling the winning Scratcher.

After taxes, Haggard’s winnings come to $750,001.25. Haggard, who

said she works in marketing for a healthcare technology company in

Mission Viejo, said she plans to split the money in half with her

older brother Jim.

“We talked about this years ago,” Haggard said. “If one of us ever

won, we would split it up.”

Growing up, Kelly said she and her brother had a close

relationship, and he would often take her to Angel games and on other

outings.

So far, her only big purchase is 10 tickets for a football game

between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. Otherwise, she

plans to use her winnings to pay off her student loans and look for a

new place to live.

Haggard’s winnings came through the California Lottery’s “The Next

Millionaire” game. According to the California Lottery, the odds of

winning one of 20 prizes of $1 million through the game are one in

1.2 million.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at

[email protected].