'It's My American Dream' Single Mom Wins Casino House Giveaway

TEMECULA, CA ? She found a penny, had a dream, and the next thing she knew, she was turning the front door key to open her brand new Temecula house.

Pechanga Resort Casino's Home Sweet Win winner, a Long Beach resident whose name was released as Mayra V. for privacy reasons, accepted her prize Friday, amid fanfare, confetti, and shrieks of joy.

The Home Sweet Win contest has been going on since March, Pechanga tells Patch, and the winners took the stage in front of three doors. Mayra V. turned the key on her stage "front door," and walked right through, signaling she won the brand new, 4-bedroom, 3-bath home in a premier gated Temecula community, courtesy of Pechanga Resort Casino.

Before the night, host Ty Pennington spoke with Patch about the event that was sure to change someone's life.

"Winning is great, but there's something substantial about winning a house," Pennington said. "It's something you can pass down to generations. This is a big win. It all comes down to the luck of the draw. Whoever wins this house is getting not only a lucky home, but they're getting a lucky place to live in Temecula."

Twenty finalists were selected to participate in the May 30th Home Sweet Win! finale at the casino. Host Ty Pennington, of Extreme Home Makeover fame, called Mayra?s name as the second-to-last person to enter the final drawing.

"Mayra stayed hopeful she would be the Pechanga grand finale winner to win and move into her new home, something she?s never been able to do before," Pechanga spokesperson Ciara Green told Patch. "Mayra is a single mom with three adult daughters and several grandchildren. She?s always given so much to everyone else. She says this is a dream come true."

She explained that she had found a penny outside her neighborhood church two weeks ago and brought the coin with her to the casino. She plans to move from Long Beach to her new house in Temecula as soon as possible and can?t wait to start making carne asada for her family and create memories in the house she won from Pechanga.

The two runners-up in the Home Sweet Win! promotion at Pechanga Resort Casino each received $25,000.00 in cash.

"Mayra?s family told Pechanga staff she always supported them with everything she has," Green said. "They expressed they are who they are because of Mayra, and to see her finally receive something of this magnitude, a house, for herself feels like an incredible blessing."

Was it fated that she win? Mayra V. thinks so.

She held on to a lucky penny she found last week on the ground outside of her neighborhood church, as she waited for her number to be called, and then clung tightly to that penny until she was able to turn the key and step through into homeownership.

"She said she brought the penny back into the church and prayed," Gren said.

Several weeks before finding the church penny and becoming a finalist in Pechanga?s Home Sweet Win!, Mayra said she had a dream of a big house with white floors and white cabinets. She wrote down the memory of her dream when she awoke, Green told Patch. "She began wondering if her dream carried significance after she qualified as a finalist for the home giveaway."

Host Ty Pennington met Mayra and her family at the new home the following day.

After entering, she guided her family into the kitchen, with its quartz countertops and stainless appliances.

?I?m happiest when I?m with my family. That?s where I get my strength,? she told the TV and casino promotion host, her joy visibly overflowing with her family looking on. Mayra said during the home reveal that she would be moving in as soon as possible.

?It?s a matter of a short time. I?ll be cooking carne asada for my family in here and making so many memories. It?s a dream come true.?

About Mayra V.

Although she had a psychology degree in Mexico, she moved to the United States from Mexico many years ago in search of a better life for her daughters. She recalls all the struggles she and her family worked through in those early years - dropping the kids off at school, then heading to class herself to learn English well. She worked in the Los Angeles area as a custodian for a trade union office. Now, she is a trade union representative for medical professionals caring for the elderly in California.

About Home Sweet Win!

Between March and May 2025, Pechanga Resort Casino gave its Rewards Club members the chance to win and move into the brand new home by Meritage Homes in a new Temecula subdivision.

The home they gave away sits on a sizable corner lot, surrounded by the resort-style amenities within the Prado community.

The detached, single-family home offers a spacious, open concept floor plan, chef-inspired kitchen, energy efficiency features, all Whirlpool appliances, window coverings and ample outdoor space.

The community features a pool, clubhouse, BBQs, picnic shelters and parks.

Alongside the home giveaway, Pechanga also gave $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles. The funds supported the organization?s efforts in rebuilding and repairing homes following the devastating wildfires that hit Los Angeles in January.

Pechanga representatives announced that Home Sweet Win! will return in 2026, with Ty Pennington set to host. For more information, visit Pechanga.com.