LANSING, October 19, 1998 – Each time Bobbie Christian buys a Michigan Lottery ticket, she tells the cashier she "only wants a winner and nothing else!"  Christian finally got that "winner" when she matched the first five numbers in the September 15 Big Game drawing to win the $150,000 prize!  That day’s winning numbers were: 11, 26, 30, 37, 38 and the Big Money Ball number was 20.

"I took my ticket to the 7-Eleven on Allen Road – where I almost always buy my Lottery tickets – to get the winning number report so I could check my ticket," Christian said.  "I went into hysterics when I saw that my numbers matched the printout!  I called my husband, Edward, and said ‘I think I got a winner.’  I didn’t even know that I had won $150,000 until a clerk from the store called Lottery headquarters to verify that I had a winning ticket.  Once I found that out, I just stood there and shook!  I asked the clerk if it would be okay if I screamed!"

Christian, 63, is a Certified Nursing Assistant who works at a local nursing home.  She purchased the winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket at Southland Corp. #19262 (7-Eleven), 18210 Allen Road, in Melvindale.

Prior to turning her ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Christian hid it in her mother’s book cupboard for safekeeping.  She said she plans to share her winnings with Edward, her husband of 43 years.  Together they want to purchase a copy machine, pay for home repairs, make a donation to their church and save the rest for emergencies.

In her free time, Christian has been studying her family history, gathering information on her ancestors as far back as the tenth century!  The copy machine she plans to purchase will allow her to copy old photographs of her relatives.

"I have written a few books on my family history," she said.  "Maybe now I can get them published."

For other Lottery hopefuls, Christian offered the following advice: "When you have a hunch – buy a ticket!"

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.  Big Game drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.  The next Big Game drawing will be conducted on Tuesday, October 20 – the expected jackpot is $7 million.

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