LANSING, April 7, 2003 – Steven Braga of Chesterfield Township thought his wife was playing an April Fool’s Day joke on him when she told him that he had matched the first five numbers in the April 1 Mega Millions drawing to win a $175,000 prize! The winning numbers for that day’s drawing were: 7, 12, 26, 45, 47 and the Gold Mega Ball number was 36.

Braga, who works as a carpenter, purchased the winning Mega Millions "easy pick" ticket at M&M Gas & Grocery Inc., 49031 Gratiot Ave., in Chesterfield Township.

"My wife, Barbara, looked up the winning numbers while reading the Macomb Daily," said Braga. "When she told me that I had won a $175,000 prize, I was sure she was playing an April’s Fools Day prank. But, when I checked the numbers on the ticket, I was pleasantly surprised to learn I really had won!"

Braga, 45, said he kept the winning ticket in a "safe place" prior to turning it in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing. The lucky man, who enjoys gardening and just being outdoors in his spare time, added that he plans to use his winnings to pay bills and make investments for the future.

He offered the following words of encouragement to other Lottery hopefuls: "Winning is not a science – – it’s just luck!"

On Wednesday, May 15, 2002 Mega Millions replaced The Big Game. Mega Millions is a multistate lottery game in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington. 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, April 8, with an estimated jackpot of $15 million. For more information about Mega Millions, visit the Michigan Lottery’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery.

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