LANSING, May 19, 1999 – Richard McGee of Toledo, Ohio topped off a recent lucky streak when he won a big Michigan Lottery prize!  McGee matched the first five numbers in the May 11 Big Game drawing to win the game’s $150,000 prize.

That day’s winning numbers were: 11, 22, 29, 35, 41 and the Big Money Ball number was 30.

"I won $219.50 on the Ohio Lottery’s 3-digit game, $640 at the bingo hall and the $150,000 Big Game prize over the course of five days," McGee said.  "I believe these winnings were a gift from God.  My brother passed away recently and he told me before he died he would send me a sign that he was in heaven.  I believe this was it!"

When McGee and his wife, Marlene, looked at the numbers on the winning ticket they could hardly believe their eyes.

"I saw the winning numbers in the Toledo Blade," McGee said.  "I looked at the Gold Ball column first and saw that I wasn’t a jackpot winner.  But, when I started checking the other numbers it was completely unbelievable!  I knew right away that I had won $150,000.  We both started screaming and crying!"

McGee said he believes his family members bring him good luck.

"I feel very lucky," the winner said.  "My wife is the best thing that every happened to me and I call my sister Penny my ‘lucky Penny.’  She gave me a lucky penny before I won the $150,000 Big Game prize and I am still carrying it around with me!"

Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, McGee hid it in a metal candy can for safe keeping.  The miscellaneous laborer for Toledo Public Schools has been a regular Michigan Lottery player for the past 26 years.  He said his favorite Michigan Lottery games are The Big Game and Michigan Lotto.

The 50-year-old winner said he plans to use his winnings to pay his house off, take a trip to Alaska to visit his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter and put some of it away for retirement.

McGee, an avid hunter, fisherman and "big Ohio State University football fan," purchased the winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket at Matthew’s Liquor, 6400 Summit St., in Erie.

The lucky Toledo man offered the following advice for other Lottery hopefuls: "Be a giver and good things will happen to you!"

The Big Game is a multistate lottery game in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia.  The next drawing will be conducted Friday, May 21 and the expected jackpot is $54 million.

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