LANSING, January 6, 1998 – Three Burton retailers closed out the year on a winning note – each sold a top Michigan Lottery prize-winning ticket:
- Davison Oil & Gas Co. #4 sold a $150,000 winning Big Game ticket in the December 12 drawing;
- VG’s Food Center sold a $4 million winning Michigan Lotto ticket in the December 20 drawing; and
- McMahons Quik Stop sold a $250,000 winning "Surprise Package" instant ticket!
Davison resident Robert Bergeron was the lucky winner of the $150,000 Big Game ticket sold at Davison Oil & Gas #4, 2514 S. Belsay Road, in Burton. The winning Big Game numbers in the December 12 drawing were: 3, 6, 8, 20, 30 and the Big Money Ball number, 25.
"I read the winning numbers in the Flint Journal on Saturday after the drawing," said Bergeron. "My wife called home and talked to our granddaughter. She said, `Grandpa won the Lottery!’ but my wife didn’t think much of it at first. When I asked her if she was sitting down, then she knew it was a lot of money!"
Bergeron, 63, is employed at Genesee Tool & Engineering and already had plans to retire. "This will definitely help us out with retirement," he said.
A regular Michigan Lottery player for 25 years, Bergeron said he picked his Big Game numbers randomly. Plans for Bergeron’s winnings include sharing it with family and making home improvements.
In Flint, a two-member lottery club held the only ticket to match all six winning Michigan Lotto numbers in the December 20 drawing worth $4 million!
That day’s winning numbers were: 3, 21, 24, 27, 34 and 48, and the winning "easy pick" ticket was purchased at VG’s Food Center, 4165 E. Court Street, in Burton. The winning ticket was also a "Smartplay" ticket. The Michigan Lottery awards a free "easy pick" ticket for the next Lotto drawing when five wagers for that drawing are purchased.
"My mom saw the results in the paper and she knew we had matched all six numbers," said the club representative, who requested anonymity. "She showed it to me, and I didn’t believe her. Then I called my sister, and we called a store to double-check the winning numbers. We were just amazed!"
The club received its first installment of $160,000 to be followed by 24 annual installments. The members said they had no immediate plans for their winnings other than to "use it wisely."
In Burton, an 18-year-old resident is the latest player to find a $250,000 "Surprise Package" instant ticket. The winning ticket was purchased at McMahons Quik Stop, G3283 S. Saginaw St., in Burton.
"I almost didn’t pick that ticket," said the winner, who requested anonymity. "At first I didn’t believe it. When I told my dad, he didn’t believe me either!"
The winner said he will use his "Surprise Package" winnings to make investments.
Big Game drawings are conducted every Friday; Michigan Lotto drawings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday; and Michigan Lottery instant tickets are available at more than 9,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.
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