LANSING, June 4, 1999 – Apparently the new "Star Wars" movie isn’t the only hot ticket in town right now!  The force was truly with the "Lotto-Won Kenobi" lottery club recently when it won a top prize in the Michigan Lottery’s Big Game!

The two-member lottery club matched the first five numbers drawn in the May 14 Big Game drawing, collecting the game’s $150,000 prize.  That day’s winning numbers were: 1, 6, 25, 37, 42 and the Big Money Ball number was 27.

The two club members – Jennifer Degelbeck, 22, and Scott Billow, 27, both of Marlette – work together at the Marlette Golf Club and are engaged to be married soon.

"I went in to buy tickets for the next Big Game drawing and the store clerk asked me if I had checked my tickets from the last drawing," Billow said.  "She told me that her store had sold a $150,000 winner that no one had claimed yet.  I got a printout of the winning numbers and went right home to check my tickets.  I was completely breathless when I saw that I was holding that ticket!  I told Jennifer as soon as she got home from work and she screamed with joy!"

The winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket was purchased at Marlette Oil & Gas Co., 2897 Main St., in Marlette.  Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Degelbeck kept it in a safe.

The club members, who are both avid golfers, said they plan to use their winnings to pay bills and build a house together.

The Big Game is a multistate lottery game in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia.  Wagers cost $1 each and tickets may be purchased at more than 6,400 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

Big Game drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.  The next Big Game drawing is tonight, June 4 with an expected jackpot of $11 million.

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