Southern California

“More Money Than I'll Ever Be Able to Use”: $60M Powerball Winner

The 76-year-old bought a ticket on a whim at a Fontana market

Southern California's latest multi-millionaire says a love of Popsicles brought him his newfound wealth.

Jack Long, 76, a single father who raised two daughters and now uses a motorized wheelchair to get around, bought a California Lottery Powerball ticket on a whim while buying a Popsicle at Cardenas Market in Fontana.

He checked the numbers a few days later.

"I kept looking at it, looking at it," Long said during a press conference Thursday. "I could see the numbers and I couldn't believe it."

He won the $60 million jackpot.

Long said he would use the money to set up family trusts, pay for eye surgery to improve his sight and buy a faster wheelchair.

"I get tired of this five or six miles an hour stuff," he said. 

He'll also give money to various local charities, including an organization that helps homeless children.

"It's definitely more money than I'll ever be able to use," Long said. "Fontana has been good to me and my kids. So that's where I start, is in Fontana."

Long refers to his pre-lottery life as "five or six completely different lives." He's worked for construction and investment companies.

He had an active life, spending time water skiing and drag racing.

He doesn't expect many relatives to start appearing and asking for money, he said.

"I do not believe blood's thicker than water," he said.

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