LANSING, November 20, 2008 – Grace Coney of Saginaw claimed a $250,000 prize after matching all five Mega Millions white balls in the November 7 drawing.

After realizing she had made the match, Coney called her brother-in-law to find out how much she won.  The first-time Lottery winner hid the ticket in a safe before claiming her prize at Lottery Central. Coney plans to pay bills with the prize money.

Coney purchased the easy-pick ticket at Fast Track One, 2623 E. Genesee, in Saginaw.

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 2008, the contribution to schools was over $740 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to education in Michigan.

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

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