By: Michelle Miller, Journal Staff Writer
1:00 AM PDT
It was the magical date of 5-5-05 that beckoned an Auburn woman out to
Thunder Valley Casino Thursday night - and she ended up going home a
millionaire.
Pamela Haro-Pearson, 57, said she fell to her knees when she realized
she won a $2.5 million progressive jackpot on a "Wheel of Fortune"
machine.
She looked away for just a second when she hit the third "Wheel of
Fortune" icon on a $5 slot machine.
"The third one fluttered as it landed and I thought, 'Is that what I
think I'm seeing?' and "Oh, my god, did I put enough coins in?'" she
said.
If she didn't play the full amount, the jackpot would have withered to
$10,000.
She was listening to financial talk show host Tom Sullivan on KFBK 1530
AM earlier in the day when he pointed out the three 5's in Thursday's
date. Although she doesn't normally read into numbers, she knew she
wanted to go to the casino.
"I wanted to go at 5 o'clock, but I couldn't make it because we were
celebrating my Dad's birthday," she said.
She told herself she had to go before midnight and made it there
shortly before 11 p.m.
Then 11 minutes past midnight she won - and walked off with the first
installment of her jackpot, worth a cool $2,563,608.74.
She wouldn't lump herself in with the die-hard regulars at Thunder
Valley, but has enjoyed playing often for about a year.
The money will go toward a new vehicle, said Haro-Pearson, who is
retired. It will also help pay off the $25,000 she spent last year on
her animal rescue efforts to rehabilitate and adopt out cats.
Haro-Pearson's husband, who is an electrician, was sleeping after
working a job in San Francisco that night.
"I called him and he just went peaceful, but I could tell he was
excited," she said. "It was a life-changing moment."
She has no kids, but enjoys being an aunt to her niece Jeannel, 11, and
Patrick, 10.
Brother Steve Haro, of Newcastle, was in bed when she called to say she
won.
"I just thanked God. She deserves it, she's a very giving person," he
said.
Haro said he and brother, Keith Haro, went down to the casino and
partied and gambled with her into the wee hours of the morning. Haro
said his sister was in a semi state of shock all morning, with a smile
that couldn't be wiped off her face.
"I was as happy for her as if I won it myself," he said.
While it's not the biggest jackpot struck since the casino opened in
2003, it ranks third. Other Thunder Valley winners took in $5.1 million
and a whopping $12.5 million, the largest non-lottery jackpot in Native
American gaming history.
"This win is another reason why Thunder Valley Casino is the jackpot
capital of the world," said Doug Elmets, spokesman for the United
Auburn Indian Community, which runs the Thunder Valley Casino.
The jackpot was a wide-area progressive, where the machine is connected
to the same kind of machine all over the state, where every player
helps the jackpot meter go up.
"It's random, you just have to be in the right place at the right
time," said Scott Garawitz, general manager of the casino.
Winners can choose a lump sum or installments, just like in the
California State Lottery. By law, anytime someone wins over $1,199, the
casino fills out a 1099 taxable income form.
But winners shouldn't expect balloons to drop for the sky and be handed
an oversized check right away.
Officials first have to verify the jackpot by checking with the slot
machine computer manufacturer's headquarters in Reno. Then, technicians
open up the machine to see if seals on the computer chips haven't been
tampered with.
As for Haro-Pearson's numerology technique, Garawitz was glad it paid
off.
"I guess next year we'll be seeing her on June 6, 2006," he said.
