LANSING, February 3, 1999 – Lavern Taylor of Pontiac recently hit the big time with the Michigan Lottery’s Big Game! Taylor matched the first five numbers in the January 29 drawing to win the $150,000 prize.  That day’s winning numbers were: 4, 9, 12, 32, 47 and the Big Money Ball number was 27.

The General Motors welder said he heard the winning numbers announced on the radio while he was at work.

"I wrote them down and checked my ticket right away," he said.  "At first I thought I had matched just three numbers.  It took me a while to realize I had matched five!  I was very surprised and nervous!"

Taylor, 63, said he has been playing the Michigan Lottery for the past 26 years, and he plays The Big Game, Lotto and Daily games regularly.  Taylor purchased the winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket at J & J Food Center, 1525 S. Opdyke Rd., in Bloomfield Hills.

Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Taylor kept it in a "safe place."  The avid fisherman and baseball player said he doesn’t have any special plans for his winnings at this time – he said he is "still thinking about it."

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 Friday, February 5 – the expected jackpot is $5 million.

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