LANSING, March 30, 2000 — A Plymouth-area man continued to check the numbers on his Michigan Lotto ticket over and over again, even after learning he had matched all six winning numbers and was the sole winner of a $21,270,920 million Lotto jackpot!
The lucky man, who requested anonymity, was the only Michigan Lottery player to match all six numbers in the March 25 Michigan Lotto drawing: 5, 8, 10, 21, 25 and 39. The winner selected annuity payment for his jackpot winnings, and collected his first installment check of $851,720 (before taxes) during his recent visit to Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing. That check will be followed by 24 annual installments of $850,800.
“I was watching the Saturday night news while sitting on the couch with my girlfriend when I saw the winning numbers come up on the screen,” the winner said. “My girlfriend began checking the tickets we had purchased, and became very quiet all of a sudden. She looked at me and said, ‘This is the winning ticket!’ Neither one of us could believe it!”
The Plymouth-area man said he and his girlfriend spent the next couple of days checking the numbers over and over.
“We called the Lottery’s toll-free Lottery Link number (1-800-822-8888) three times to get the winning numbers and we kept checking them on the Lottery’s Web site (www.state.mi.us/milottery) as well,” he said. “We haven’t been able to sleep since learning we won. We are completely shocked and overwhelmed by the whole thing!”
The winning Michigan Lotto “easy pick” ticket was sold at Stanley’s Market, 25000 Telegraph Road, in Flat Rock. Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters, the winner said he kept it in a “safe place.”
Michigan’s newest Lottery millionaire, who enjoys traveling and participating in all kinds of sports in his free time, said he plans to share his winnings with family and friends, purchase a new home, make investments, and buy a vacation home and boat.
The lucky man said he is grateful for the prize he won and offered his advice to other Lottery hopefuls: “Keep on trying and buy more tickets when the jackpots are big to increase your chances of winning!”
Michigan Lotto drawings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday. The estimated jackpot for the Saturday, April 1 drawing is $2.1 million.
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