LANSING, January 26, 1999 – A Fort Gratiot woman is rolling in dough after winning the $250,000 top prize in the Michigan Lottery’s "High Roller" instant game!

The 52-year-old winner, who requested anonymity, said she has been playing Michigan Lottery games for the past 26 years.  The stockperson at Ford Motor Company was on her lunch break when she scratched off the winning instant ticket.

"I was at a restaurant for lunch when I scratched the ticket," she said.  "At first I thought had I won $250, and then I thought the ticket said $25,000.  One of my co-workers finally said ‘No, you won $250,000!’  I started shaking when I realized how much I had won.  All I could do was walk around in circles!  It still hasn’t even really sunk in yet!"

The winner said she kept the ticket close to her body for the rest of the day until she could get it home safely.  She said she plans to spend part of her winnings and invest the rest.

The Fort Gratiot woman, who enjoys fishing and cooking in her free time, purchased the lucky ticket at Fillin Station Inc., 49434 Gratiot Ave., in Chesterfield.

For other Lottery hopefuls, the lucky lady offered the following advice: "Don’t give up and always play within your means!"

"High Roller" is just one of many Michigan Lottery instant tickets available at more than 9,300 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

# # #