LANSING, May 12, 1999 – Inkster resident JoAnn Nicholson has a lot of reasons to be smiling these days – 150,000 reasons to be exact!  Nicholson matched the first five numbers in the May 4 Big Game drawing to win the game’s $150,000 prize!

That day’s winning numbers were: 5, 20, 32, 42, 46 and the Big Money Ball number was 26.

"My boyfriend picked up a winning number printout from the store so we could check my tickets," Nicholson said.  "He carried the printout and the winning ticket around in his pocket for two days before we got a chance to sit down and check the numbers.  When we checked the ticket and saw that we had matched five numbers I was instantly nervous and have stayed nervous since!"

Prior to turning in the winning ticket at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Nicholson said she hid it in a "safe place" in her home.  The Inkster woman has been a regular Lottery player for the past two years.  She said she plans to use her Big Game winnings to purchase a new home.

The lucky lady purchased the winning ticket at Super Y Market, 7130 Middlebelt Road, in Romulus.

The Big Game is a multi-state Lottery game in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia.  The next drawing will be conducted Friday, May 14 and the expected jackpot is $42 million.

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