LANSING, August 20, 2002 – Samuel Sopocy of Bannister was excited to learn he had won a $175,000 Mega Millions prize after matching the first five numbers in the August 13 drawing! The winning numbers for that day’s drawing were: 3, 10, 15, 18, 25 and the Gold Mega Ball number was 52.
The winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased at The Keg Party Store, 1044 E. Center St., in Ithaca. The lucky 55-year-old man said he chose the winning number combination using his and family members’ birthdays—and that the drawing was held on his 36th wedding anniversary!
"I looked up the winning numbers in the Lansing State Journal while I drank my morning coffee," Sopocy said. "I immediately called the store where I purchased the ticket to verify the numbers. Just to make absolutely certain, I stopped and got gas and the clerk at the gas station assured me that I really did have a winning ticket!"
Sopocy, who said he enjoys woodworking in his free time, said he kept the lucky ticket in his billfold at all times to ensure its safety before turning it in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing. He told Lottery officials he is excited about being able to make home improvements with part of his winnings, and added that he plans to share the rest with his children and grandchildren.
Sopocy encourages other Lottery hopefuls to "just hang in there and stick with it!"
The last Big Game drawing took place on Tuesday, May 14. On Wednesday, May 15, The Big Game was replaced by Mega Millions. Mega Millions is a multistate lottery game in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. Wagers cost $1 each and tickets may be purchased at more than 7,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.
Mega Millions drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. The next Mega Millions drawing is tonight, Tuesday, August 20, with an estimated jackpot of $78 million. For more information about Mega Millions, visit the Michigan Lottery’s Web site, www.michigan.gov/lottery.
# # #
