LANSING, December 9, 2008 – The holiday season will be a bit brighter than anticipated for one lucky Michigan Lottery player.

Twenty-six year old Stephen Maes of New Baltimore was the $2 million winner in a drawing Friday night during halftime at the Detroit Pistons basketball game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Maes had won $1,000 on a $20 Michigan Lottery Instant ticket, which qualified him for the finalist drawing.

Maes, who collected his prize money this morning, plans to invest and use his winnings for school.

Other finalists who participated in the drawing with Maes were Marie Conlon from Beverly Hills; Stephen Yoder from Goshen, Indiana; Michelle Oppenhuisen from Galesburg and James Hogan from Dansville. They each received a $5,000 appearance fee for participating in the drawing. The five lucky finalists were chosen from a pool of 1,057 entries.

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 $740.7 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/.

Cutline information:

Stephen Maes of New Baltimore, wearing the yellow shirt, reacts upon realizing he has won $2 million in a Michigan Lottery drawing. With Maes are (l to r) finalists Marie Conlon of Beverly Hills; Stephen Yoder of Goshen, Indiana; Michelle Oppenhuisen from Galesbury and James Hogan of Dansville. (Photo credit: www.domagalskiphotography.com, courtesy of Michigan Lottery)

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