LANSING, April 18, 2008 – A longtime Lottery player claimed a $10,000 prize from the April 11 Mega Millions drawing. Sheri Monteleone matched four white balls and the gold ball to win the prize.

Monteleone, a hair dresser from Clinton Township, hid the ticket in her purse prior to cashing it in at the Lottery’s Sterling Heights office. She picked her own numbers and plans to use the prize money to pay bills.

The 39-year-old purchased the winning ticket at Dash In Deli, 28722 Utica Rd., in Roseville.

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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