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The best-supported answer is George Swirin, a 66-year-old retiree from Bakersfield, California. A Los Angeles Times report published April 19, 1988, says he won the state’s computerized lotto game. The exact origin of the headline “Lotto player scores whopping $15.3 million prize” has not been confirmed, so this identification rests on the closest matching contemporary report.
What happened in the 1988 California lotto drawing?
The Los Angeles Times report says Swirin matched all six main numbers in the drawing held the preceding Saturday. The numbers were 41, 35, 40, 48, 6 and 13. A separate bonus number, 36, was also drawn.
The report says three other players matched five main numbers plus the bonus number and split a second-place prize of $1.6 million. It described Swirin’s jackpot as the fifth largest in the lottery’s history at the time; that historical ranking has not been checked against an official archive.
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Why did the prize rise from $14.9 million to $15.3 million?
The newspaper says lottery officials initially announced a grand prize of $14.9 million. Lottery spokesman Bob Taylor said the final figure was $15.3 million because the annuity purchased for Swirin was worth more than anticipated. The $15.3 million figure is therefore the final annuity value reported by the newspaper, not the initially announced jackpot.
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The article reports that Swirin would receive $615,200 annually for 20 years after the stated federal tax deduction. That payment detail is the newspaper’s account; the underlying California Lottery record and annuity calculation have not been independently confirmed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is confirmed—and what remains uncertain?
The contemporary newspaper account identifies Swirin, gives the draw numbers and describes how the jackpot figure changed. It attributes the prize information to lottery officials, but no official California Lottery historical record confirming the winner, numbers or annuity calculation has been located. The available evidence supports describing these as details reported at the time, rather than independently verified present-day lottery records.
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- Author: Clark, Mary Higgins.
- Publisher: Pocket Books
- Pages: 304
- Publication Date: 1995-11-01
- Edition: Reprint
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