LANSING, November 2, 1998 – A 56-year-old Waterford woman recently got the best wedding anniversary gift of all time when she won the $1 million top prize in the Michigan Lottery’s "$1,000,000 Gift" instant game.

"I bought the ticket the day before our wedding anniversary and scratched it off in the car," she said.  "I knew it was a winner as soon as I scratched it off, but I didn’t know how much I had won."

"So, I took it back into the store and had the clerk check it for me.  He told me I would have to file a claim at a Lottery Regional office or the Lottery headquarters, but he didn’t tell me how much I had won," she said.  "When I got back in the car, I looked at it again and realized I had won $1 million!  I started shaking and crying, and have been a nervous wreck ever since!"

The winner, who requested anonymity, purchased the winning ticket at Lakeways Market, 3468 Pontiac Lake Road, in Waterford.  Prior to turning the ticket in at Michigan Lottery headquarters, she had her husband take a photo of her holding the winning ticket and then she placed it in a safe in their home.

The Waterford woman, who has been a regular Lottery player for the past 26 years, already has special plans for her winnings.

"We went out and bought ourselves new wedding rings as soon as we found out we had won," she said.  "Also, I have always wanted a Cadillac and now I will be able to get one!  We don’t know what we are going to do with the rest of the money yet.  We are still thinking about it."

For other Lottery hopefuls, the winner offered the following advice: "It’s a dream come true and it can happen to you too!"

"$1,000,000 Gift" is just one of many Michigan Lottery instant tickets available at more than 9,300 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

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