Gustavo Martinez, favorite of workers and customers alike, plans few changes despite winning $75,000.
By Ward Lauren / Special to The Malibu Times
Gustavo Martinez, a 24-year-old busboy at Guido’s restaurant in the Cross Creek shopping center, says he’s always been lucky. He cites his job at the popular Italian eatery, where he has worked steadily for four years now, as an example.
But six weeks ago he experienced luck of the not-so-ordinary kind.
On June 25, from among 10 initial contestants on the television show “The Big Spin” in Glendale, he spun the wheel and watched-not altogether surprisingly, he said -as it clicked around and around, and finally stopped with the ping-pong ball nesting snugly on the $75,000 mark.
“I knew it was going to happen,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not the exact amount, of course, but that I would get to spin the wheel and that I would win some good money on the show. When the wheel stopped it was right next to the one-million-dollar slice, so that was pretty exciting. But that’s all right; I got nothing to complain about.”
Just getting a pass to be on the show was the start of Martinez’ good luck, he said, as he knew he would win something and thus be better off than when he started, no matter what. Martinez won a chance to go on the “Big Spin TV Show” by getting three “TV Shows” on a “Big Spin” Scratchers ticket.
To vie for the chance to spin the wheel, the 10 starters play a special game in which everyone is assured of winning a minimum of $1,750.
The game continues until only two are left, and then they compete for the chance to spin for the big bucks-up to $3 million.
This wasn’t the first time Martinez has won some money in a version of the California Lottery. Six months ago, he rubbed the covering off a “Scratchers” to reveal a $3,000 prize. With this kind of luck, he said he feels comfortable in continuing to spend $15 to $20 a week on the lottery.
Martinez has no illusions about leading a different lifestyle now because of winning. He intends to use the money he won as a down payment on a house for his family.
Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, he has been in the United States for seven years. He currently lives in a rented home in Inglewood with his wife, Asuncion, their two sons, Christian, 5, and Adrian, 2, and Martinez’ brother, Max.
He has no plans to change jobs.
“I like driving to Malibu every day and I like working at Guido’s,” he said. “They are really nice people here; the customers, too.”
The feeling is mutual among his fellow workers and his employer, who has nothing but praise for him.
Vassil Pertchinkov, manager of the restaurant, said, “Gustavo is the very best worker you could ever have; everybody likes him. He’s steady, helpful and pleasant to everybody.
“When he won, the customers asked if he was still going to work here. They were afraid he would go. But nothing has changed. He’s the same as always. He’s the first person you would want to win a big prize like this.”