LANSING, August 17, 1999 — A Grand Rapids area man said he had to look at his winning Michigan Lotto ticket over and over again before he actually believed he had matched all six winning numbers, making him the sole winner of a $9.3 million Lotto jackpot!
The lucky man was the only Michigan Lottery player to match all six numbers in the August 14 drawing: 7, 16, 18, 30, 38 and 40.
"I checked the numbers on my ticket against those listed in the Grand Rapids Press," the winner said. "I just kept looking at the paper again and again. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t seeing things that weren’t there! I haven’t told anyone, except my wife, that I won."
The Grand Rapids area resident, who requested anonymity, said he has been playing Michigan Lottery games for the past 15 years, and his favorites are Michigan Lotto and The Big Game. He purchased the winning Michigan Lotto ticket at Party House Party Store, 6572 S. Division, in Grand Rapids. He said he selected his winning Lotto numbers because "they hadn’t been drawn in awhile."
The lucky man selected the lump-sum cash option payment for his winnings. He came to Lottery headquarters in Lansing to collect his one-time prize payment of $9,353,180, the present cash value of that day’s announced $18 million jackpot, before taxes.
Prior to turning the winning ticket in, the winner kept it on a dresser in his house to ensure its safety. He said he doesn’t have any definite plans for his winnings yet.
"The money will still be here tomorrow," he said. "This is all still sinking in — I need a little time to think about it. Money can’t buy you happiness, but it certainly can give you more freedom!"
The faithful Lotto player offered the following words of wisdom to other Lottery hopefuls: "If you don’t think it can happen to you — well, it can!"
The winner became the 26th Kent County resident in Michigan Lottery history to win a Lotto jackpot prize. The largest to date was an anonymous Wyoming resident who collected $21.1 million in the July 14, 1990 Lotto drawing!
Michigan Lotto drawings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday. The expected jackpot for Wednesday’s (August 18) drawing is $2 million.
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