LANSING, June 18, 1997 – Thanks to the efforts of employees of Elba Corners – the store that sold the jackpot-winning Michigan Lotto ticket for the June 11 drawing – a Lapeer couple is now $2.1 million richer!
"The store had a sign up in the window that said they sold the winning ticket," said the man. "We checked out tickets Saturday morning and saw we had matched all six numbers on the free ‘Smartplay’ ticket. We called some friends and family right away to share the good news."
"Smartplay" is an ongoing Michigan Lottery promotion in which a bonus "easy pick" ticket is awarded to any player who purchases a $5 five-wager ticket for a Michigan Lotto drawing. The "Smartplay" wager has been the jackpot-winning ticket for three other Michigan Lotto players in just over a year, including the "Lucky Dozen" Lottery Club of Flint which won a $16 million jackpot on May 28.
The couple, a 29-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman, have requested anonymity. They’ve just bought a new home and said plans for their Lotto winnings include a trip to Jamaica and an eventual move to a warmer locale. "Our goal is to stop in the first place they don’t know what a snow shovel is!"
The winners received their first installment of $105,000, before taxes, to be followed by 19 annual installments.
The winning "Smartplay" ticket was purchased at Elba Corners, 5505 Davison Road, in Lapeer.
The winning Michigan Lotto numbers in the Wednesday, June 11, drawing were: 2, 9, 28, 33, 39 and 44.
Tonight’s (June 18) Michigan Lotto jackpot is estimated at $2.1 million, and Friday’s (June 20) Big Game jackpot will be $5 million.
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