LANSING, May 13, 2000 – A Lansing man said he had a hard time sleeping after realizing he was the sole ticket holder in the May 3 Michigan Lotto drawing! The 44-year-old winner visited Lottery headquarters last week to claim his $8,365,825 prize. Choosing annuity payments, he received his initial installment of $335,425, to be followed by 24 annual installments of $334,600, before taxes.

The lucky man, who requested anonymity, purchased his winning ticket at Meijer Inc. #24, 6200 Pennsylvania Ave., in Lansing. He bought a $5 five-wager "easy pick" ticket, which automatically produced a sixth free "Smartplay" wager on his ticket. It was that free "Smartplay" wager that correctly matched all six numbers – 4, 16, 17, 30, 31 and 40 – in the May 3 drawing!

"I had the ticket in my pocket while I was at work," said the winner. "I checked the paper Thursday night to see what the winning numbers were and just said, ‘Oh my God!’ I couldn’t sleep at all that night and my wife and kids thought something was wrong until I told them what happened.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this," he said. "It’s a shot in the dark, but someone’s got to win, right?"

Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, the lucky man said he kept it in his wallet at all times to ensure the ticket’s safety.

The Lansing man, who enjoys camping, collecting coins and watching hockey in his free time, said he plans to use his winnings to finish fixing up his house and take a long vacation with his family; he’s not sure just yet what to do with the rest of his multi-million-dollar prize!

Michigan Lotto drawings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:28 p.m. The next Lotto drawing will take place tonight (Saturday), May 13 with an estimated jackpot of $2.1 million.

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