ADVANCE/Santa Rosa Man Makes His 3rd Appearance on ``The Big Spin'' Show.

News Editors

ADVANCE...for release 4:30 p.m July 21

(ADVANCE) SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 2001

California Lottery's "The Big Spin(R)" show airs Saturday, July 21, 2001, in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show won a total of $372,500.

California Gold's top winner, Karlos Ayon of Castroville won $60,000. Ayon plans to start his own business with his prize. What kind of business? "Maybe a music business, like a recording studio," answered Ayon. California Gold is another way to get to the wheel on "The Big Spin." The game starts with 10 contestants whose Big Spin Scratchers(R) tickets each revealed three "TV SHOW" symbols on one ticket. When instructed, each player pushes down a "detonator" to reveal a prize ranging from $1,750 to $4,000. Two of those contestants will reveal gold nuggets and advance to the second round of play. Once there, they compete to see who can get the closest to 10 units of "gold nuggets" in their mining car without going over. The winner of this round goes to "The Big Spin" prize wheel, while the other contestant wins $5,000. Other California Gold contestants won a combined total of $22,500.

Fantasy 5(TM) contestants won a combined total of $160,000. Robert Lapham, from Santa Rosa, made his 3rd appearance on The Big Spin show this week playing the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine for the first time. In the past, Lapham has been on the show playing California Gold and Fame & Fortune. This time on the show, Lapham won $90,000. What does he plan to do with his prize? "Spend it!" exclaimed Lapham.

Next up at the Dream Machine was Dominador Cabalo, a restaurant worker from Bakersfield. Cabalo won $70,000 and wants to purchase a new car with his new wealth. At the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine, players have up to five chances to launch one ball at a time into one of the five bins in the pinball-type game, each bin representing a cash amount. Prizes are cumulative, but only one ball may land in each bin to claim the prize amount. Players appearing on this segment qualify by mailing an entry form to the Lottery when $5 of Fantasy 5 games are purchased on one playslip.

A bookkeeper from Citrus Heights, Shirley Nickle, was this week's Camelot's Riches contestant. "I'm going to take a trip to Alaska and we plan to retire in a couple of years so we will save it for that," she said. Nickle brought her family with her to the show as good luck charms and it worked, she won $100,000. Camelot's Riches is one of the California Lottery's newest ways to get to the Big Spin. The game is played by pulling on King Arthur's sword, "Excalibur," which starts a set of two different colored balls racing down the ramps to the finish line. The contestant's prize is decided by which color ball crosses the finish line first. Three rounds are played and the final prize is totaled after the three rounds have ended.

Carmen Byrd, a housewife from Apple Valley bought a "Big Spin" Scratchers(R) ticket which revealed three "SPIN" symbols on one ticket, that ticket entitled her to a direct trip to the prize wheel. Once at the wheel, Byrd won $30,000.

The California Lottery sells its products through a network of more than 19,000 outlets statewide. The Lottery provides 52.7 percent of its revenues to players as prizes, 34.1 percent to public schools and 13.2 percent for administrative expenses, which includes 6.9 percent for retailer commissions. Since 1985, the Lottery has raised more than $12 billion for public schools. The California Lottery's contribution equals approximately 2 percent of the state's total education budget. "The Big Spin(R)" is the longest running Lottery game show in the country, airing continuously since 1985.

NAME                                        CITY              AMOUNT
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Carmen Byrd                                Apple Valley       $ 30,000
Robert Lapham                              Santa Rosa         $ 90,000
Dominador Cabalo                           Bakersfield        $ 70,000
Shirley Nickle                             Citrus Heights     $100,000
Karlos Ayon                                Castroville        $ 60,000
Other California Gold Winners                                 $ 22,500

                                                     TOTAL   $ 372,500

Note: Additional information about the California Lottery may be found on our web site at http: www.calottery.com.

(End of advance for release 4:30 p.m. July 21.)