LANSING, September 19, 1997 – An Oakland County man has made Michigan Lottery history – the Leonard resident is the first Michigan Lotto player to collect a lump-sum jackpot prize!

The winner, who requested anonymity, matched all six winning numbers in the Michigan Lotto drawing on September 10, 1997.  Selecting the lump-sum cash option instead of the 25-year annuity, the winner collected his one-time prize payment of $5,196,211, before taxes.  The prize amount was the present cash value of that day’s announced $10 million jackpot.

"I didn’t know that I had the winning ticket until I stopped at a store to get a winning numbers report," said the winner.  "When I got home I checked my ticket but after I saw it matched all six numbers, I made my daughter check it too!"

A regular Michigan Lottery player since 1984, the winner said he and his wife will use their Lotto winnings to share with family, plan for their children’s education and make investments.

The winning Michigan Lotto "easy pick" ticket was purchased at Wright’s Corner Market, 503 Lakeville Road, in Lakeville.  The winning numbers in the September 10, 1997 Michigan Lotto drawing were: 4, 13, 17, 18, 33 and 42.

Saturday’s (Sept. 20) Michigan Lotto jackpot is estimated at $3.2 million, and Friday’s (Sept. 19) Big Game jackpot will be $5 million.

The Michigan Lottery introduced the lump-sum cash option for the Michigan Lotto game in July 1997.  In just two months’ time, response from Lotto players has been positive – more than 62 percent of Lotto wagers placed are for lump-sum cash option payment vs. the traditional 25-year annuity payment.

An IRS regulation requires that Michigan Lotto players decide at the time of ticket purchase whether they want the lump-sum cash option or the annuity payment.

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