LANSING, August 7, 2006 – A Pontiac woman hit the top prize in the Michigan Lottery’s Daily 4 evening drawing on July 27 when the numbers 2123 were drawn.  Winning $5,000 was great, but for Lidia Gutierrez, it was 80 times better!

Gutierrez, 63, had purchased 80 tickets for that evening’s drawing.  When her numbers came in, each ticket was worth $5,000, giving her a prize total of $400,000.  She visited the Lottery’s headquarters in Lansing Friday to claim her prize.

Gutierrez has been playing those same numbers, which represent the date and year of her late husband’s birth, nearly every day since the Lottery begin in 1972.  She’s won lesser prizes on the numbers when the order came up different than what she played, but she’s never won a straight bet–in which the numbers are drawn in the exact order in which they are played.  Her wagers always varied; she’d play as little as $1 on some days.  But when she went to the party store in from which she always makes her Lottery purchases, Wally’s Mini Market in Pontiac, she had a hunch and put the $80 down on her favorite number. 

A regular customer at Wally’s, Gutierrez said she and the clerks have known each other for years.  In fact, one of them called her to say that her numbers had been drawn!

Plans for the winnings include a the purchase of a condominium so she doesn’t have to worry about yard work and maintenance, Gutierrez said. 

All proceeds from the Lottery are contributed to the state School Aid Fund which supports kindergarten through 12th grade public education in Michigan.  In fiscal year 2005, the contribution was $667.6 million.

For additional information, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at https://www.michiganlottery.com/.

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