A stroke of luck for a homeless San Luis Obispo man may finally allow him to afford a home — and the second chance he’s been dreaming about.

A customer of Sandy’s Liquor in the Central Coast city won a $1 million scratcher from the California Lottery this month, state lottery officials said. According to the store’s manager, Wilson Samaan, the man is a longtime customer who is homeless and did not wish to speak publicly.

Samaan said he’s gotten to know the winner well over the last few years, even trusting him to watch the store when he has to restock items or deal with an issue. Samaan had offered the man a job at one point, but he said a bad knee left him unable to do necessary manual labor, such as refilling shelves or coolers.

The man found out about the scratcher win while in the store sometime last week, Samaan said.

“He’s like, ‘Wilson, come over here, is that true, is that real?’” Samaan recalled. “I scanned it and I’m like, ‘Bro, you hit the jackpot!””

Distributed by Tribune News Service