BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 With the Mega Millions jackpot soaring to $980 million, many Kern County residents are daring to dream about what they\u2019d do if they suddenly struck it rich. And for some, that dream has felt surprisingly close \u2014 a winning ticket was sold at a Bakersfield Albertsons just two months ago.<\/p>\n
The possibility of becoming an overnight millionaire has locals buzzing with excitement, imagining how such a windfall could change their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d Help Anybody I Could\u201d<\/p>\n
For Bakersfield resident Coreene Baker, winning would mean transforming not only her own future but her family\u2019s as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could pay for the care for my mom\u2026 take her out of the assisted-care home she\u2019s in,\u201d Baker said. \u201cAnd I\u2019d give New Covenant Church 10% of it, and with the rest, I\u2019d help anybody I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
Past Big Wins in Kern County<\/p>\n
While the odds may be steep, Kern County has seen impressive lottery luck in recent years.<\/p>\n
In 2024, a ticket sold in Frazier Park won a staggering $1.7 billion jackpot. Just this past September, a ticket from a Love\u2019s Travel Stop in Tehachapi brought home $1.5 million.<\/p>\n
Bakersfield also saw two significant wins this year, with two tickets worth $984,594 each sold at the Albertsons off Highway 58 near Allen Road.<\/p>\n
It was at that same store that Stan Lester shared what a win would mean for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d pay some bills\u2026 I have a lot of medical bills that need to be paid,\u201d Lester said.<\/p>\n
A Win for Schools Too<\/p>\n
Lottery success doesn\u2019t just benefit individuals. According to Daniel Kelly with the California Lottery, Kern County\u2019s luck also boosts local classrooms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve raised almost 85 million dollars for California public schools, and that is a really big win,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n
Building Dreams, Not Just Bank Accounts<\/p>\n
For some, becoming a millionaire isn\u2019t about luxury \u2014 it\u2019s about opportunity.
Braxton Heerion says a major win would help him bring a longtime dream to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d probably open an electrician business,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a dream of mine for a while, and I\u2019m already working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Play Responsibly<\/p>\n
While dreaming big is part of the fun, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low. Officials remind players to treat it as entertainment and set a budget before playing.<\/p>\n
As Kern County residents wait for tonight\u2019s drawing, one thing is clear: the hope of a brighter future \u2014 whether through helping family, paying bills, or building a business \u2014 is worth at least the price of a ticket.<\/p>\n
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 With the Mega Millions jackpot soaring to $980 million, many Kern County residents are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,155,153,152,162],"class_list":["post-53997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-downtown","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news","tag-kern-county-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}