LANSING, October 20, 1999 — Jesse Arnold Jr. of Taylor was shocked to discover he possessed a top prize-winning Michigan Lottery Big Game ticket! He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw he had matched the first five numbers in the October 12 Big Game drawing to win the $150,000 prize. That day’s winning numbers were: 11, 23, 27, 38, 45 and 32.

"I went to the store to pick up a winning number report so my dad and I could check our tickets," Arnold said. "I checked my ticket and saw that I had matched five numbers, but I didn’t know what I won. I decided to take the ticket back to the store to find out how much it was worth. When they told me I had won $150,000 I immediately felt dizzy! I called two of my friends right away to give them the good news!"

The 28-year-old winner said he plays Michigan Lottery games "once in a blue moon," and his game of choice is The Big Game. Arnold purchased the winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket at Warrendale BP Inc., 19840 W. Warren Ave., in Detroit.

Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Arnold placed it in a document holder to ensure its safety. The self-employed Taylor man said he plans to use his winnings to pay bills and save the rest until he has some time to think about what to do with it.

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 Friday, October 22, with an expected jackpot of $24 million.

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