LANSING, March 19, 2008 – When Bernadine Woodward went to the store, she was in for a big surprise! The store validated her Mega Millions ticket, and she learned it was worth $10,000! She matched four white ball numbers, and the gold Mega ball to win the third-tier prize.

Woodward, who is from Ypsilanti, hid the March 11 easy pick ticket in her purse prior to cashing it at the Lottery’s Sterling Heights office. She plans to use the money to catch up on bills.

The lucky winning ticket was purchased at Miramar Market, 18225 Schaefer Hwy., in Detroit.

Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery game in Michigan,California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Wagers cost $1 each and tickets may be purchased at nearly 11,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

Over 95 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In fiscal year 2007, the contribution to schools was $748.9 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $14.3 billion to education in Michigan.

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

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