LANSING, April 2, 2002 – Stefan Panovski of Shelby Township received good news from one of his restaurant patrons last Saturday, who informed Panovski that The Big Game ticket he purchased for the March 29 drawing was a $150,000 winner! The winning numbers for the March 29 drawing were: 15, 26, 28, 35, 44 and the Big Money Ball number was 30.

The winning "easy pick" ticket was purchased at 14 & Ryan Sunoco, 4051 E. 14 Mile Road, in Sterling Heights.

Panovski, 51, said he had returned to his restaurant, Marcus Hamburgers in Sterling Heights, after his car had broken down on the way home. He needed a ride home from his wife, Linda, who regularly teases him about playing the Lottery. It was then that he learned that the Big Game ticket he had recently purchased, which he had kept in his pocket all day, was a $150,000 winner!

"One of my regular customers buys tickets for me," Panovski said. "If he had not told me that I matched five numbers, I might have put the ticket in my pocket and not even checked it, since there was no jackpot winner!"

Panovski said he kept the ticket in his pocket to ensure its safety before claiming his prize at Lottery headquarters in Lansing. He added that he plans to make repairs to his restaurant’s parking lot with his winnings, and possibly buy a new car, since his broke down on that lucky last Saturday!

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 7,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

Big Game drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. The next Big Game drawing is tonight, (Tuesday) April 2, with an expected jackpot of $92 million. The April 2 drawing will be broadcast live on cable superstation WGN out of Chicago. For more information about The Big Game, visit the official Big Game Web site at: www.theofficialbiggame.com.

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