LANSING, July 2, 1998 – The 10 members of a Pontiac lottery club can celebrate their independence this year – independence from work, bills and financial worries!
The "Over Due Lotto Club" held the only ticket to match all six numbers in the June 9 Big Game drawing, earning them an amazing $22 million jackpot! The winning numbers in that day’s Big Game drawing were: 4, 9, 13, 24, 27, and the Big Money Ball number was 24.
Several club members arrived in Lansing recently to collect the club’s first annual installment check of $1.1 million, before taxes, or $110,000 per member. That will be followed by equal installments for each of the next 19 years.
"We named it the ‘Over Due Lotto Club’ because we always teased each other about being so overdue to win the big prize," joked club representative Dale Judd. Although members have dropped in and out over the years, the core members have played Lottery games as a club for 10 years.
"My wife watched the drawing and she said, ‘I think you’d better come check the numbers,’" said Judd. "I ran to call a store to double-check and when the clerk read them to me, I said, ‘I got them, I really got them!’ Then I called everyone whose number I could find!"
Nine of the club members work together at GM Powertrain headquarters in Pontiac and the tenth member is a relative. Everyone was in a bit of shock at their good fortune, but all agreed their lives would essentially continue as usual.
Said club member Sandra Michalik, "Life is definitely easier now, but we won’t change."
Club members, who range in age from 44 to 73, had a variety of plans for their winnings:
- Frank DiCea said, "I’m going to get a haircut today, and then I’m going to retire!"
- Joseph Peters Jr. said, "I’m going to buy a new John Deere tractor!"
- Other plans included home improvements, sharing with friends and family, and the purchase of a new bass fishing boat.
Finally, club members said they would continue to play Michigan Lottery games together. "Who knows?" said Michalik. "You’ve got to be persistent, and to win you have to play!"
The members of the "Over Due Lotto Club" are:
- Jon T. Brouwer of Utica
- Donna York of Clarkston
- Dale W. Judd of Oxford
- Gerald L. Austin of Clarkston
- Frank T. DiCea of Waterford
- Sandra M. Michalik of Ortonville
- Joseph Peters Jr. of Lake Orion
- Frederick E. Denne of Waterford
- Edgar Bauer of Waterford
- Raymond P. Worley of Ortonville
The winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket was purchased at Joslyn Market, 952 Joslyn Ave., in Pontiac.
The Big Game is a six-state lottery game which held its first drawing in September 1996. Lotteries in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia contribute to the joint prize pool. To date, the Michigan Lottery has produced five Big Game jackpot winners and dozens of $150,000 second-tier winners.
Big Game drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. The estimated jackpot for the Friday (July 3) drawing is $17 million.
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