SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- The winner of Wednesday's $228 million dollar Powerball jackpot has come forward. He has been identifed as Vinh Nguyen. We have not been able to find Nguyen, but he bought his ticket at Dehoff's Key Market in San Mateo.
People who work in the same Shoreview Shopping Center say he is one of the owners of Nails Resort that's just a few doors down from Key Market. Lottery officials confirm he does work as a nail technician.
He told lottery officials he has been playing the lottery for the last five years and he bought 15 Powerball tickets Wednesday night, picking his own numbers.
Nguyen chose the annuity payment option. That means he'll be paid out all $228.4 million dollars in 30 years.
With a last name of Nguyen, he certainly has a winning name.
"It's like he won and it's a win-win!" said customer Tracy Coogler.
Now he's a new millionaire.
"I think it's great for the neighborhood. It's a blue collar neighborhood. A lot of people around here work very hard for their money," said Chris Clark of Dehoff's Key Market.
The salon is supposed to open at 9 a.m. but doors were locked today and nobody answered the phone. Neighboring shop owners tell me the last time it was open was Wednesday before the winning numbers were announced.
"They're just a few doors down from us so it's hard to believe, but it's great news," said Juliana Mo.
Mo is co-owner of Press On Cleaners and gets her nails done at Nails Resort where Nguyen is often her technician.
"He's very funny, great sense of humor, very nice, very down to earth," said Mo.
Nguyen told lottery officials he picked the winning numbers because those are the ones that came to his head.
Nguyen has been playing the lottery for years, using money from tips.
It's easy to say his life is about to change. He should get his first $4 million check in a month, but Nguyen told lottery officials he just wants to be a normal man.