LANSING, August 26, 2002 – The 13 members of the "Goons Lottery Club" of Marquette are now walking around with a little more spending money after winning a top Michigan Lottery prize!
The "Goons Lottery Club" matched the first five numbers in the August 16, 2002 Mega Millions drawing, collecting the game’s $175,000 prize.
That day’s winning numbers were: 22, 31, 33, 44, 52 and the Gold Mega Ball number was 43.
Club members, who all work together at Norlite Nursing Center and range in age from 35 to 62 years old, include:
Rosie Billings of Marquette
Jackie Boudreau of Marquette
Brenda Brey of Marquette
Glenys Fulsher of Marquette
Tony Greene of Marquette
Roger Ottaway of Marquette
Shirley Pum of Marquette
Judy Silverstone of Palmer
Balde Suarez of Palmer
Vicki Swenor of Ishpeming
Bob Thomas of Negaunee
Maila Tiffany of Republic
Patty Young of Marquette
"One of the club members, Roger Ottaway, went to the store where the winning ticket was purchased to pick up a winning number report," Boudreau, the club’s representative, said. "When he got to the store he saw a sign posted there that said, ‘$175,000 winning ticket sold here.’ Roger jokingly told the clerk that he had the winning ticket. Much to his surprise, when Roger compared the winning number report to the numbers on the ticket, we really did have the $175,000 winning ticket!"
Ottaway immediately went back to work and told his fellow Lottery club members the good news!
"When I told the rest of the club members that we had won a $175,000 prize none of them believed me at first," Ottaway said. "They were all completely shocked and many of them were shaking once they realized we had really won! We still can’t believe it!"
The winning Mega Millions "easy pick" ticket was purchased at The Vineyard of Marquette,
700 Chippewa Square, in Marquette. Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, Boudreau kept the winning ticket in her purse at all times to ensure its safety.
The club members said they have a variety of plans for their winnings, including taking trips, buying new vehicles, paying bills, investing in college savings accounts, sharing with family members, investing for retirement and buying new skis and snowboards.
The lucky group offered the following words of encouragement to other Lottery hopefuls: "Just keep playing and you may win one day too!"
The last Big Game drawing took place on Tuesday, May 14, 2002. On Wednesday, May 15, 2002, 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 Tuesday, August 27, with an estimated jackpot of $105 million. For more information about Mega Millions, visit the Michigan Lottery’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery or the Mega Millions Web site at www.megamillions.com.
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