LANSING, December 22, 2008 – Eugene Umanskiy was shocked to find his Mega Millions ticket was worth $10,000. He matched four white ball numbers and the gold Mega ball number in the December 2 drawing!

The massage therapist from West Bloomfield hid the winning ticket in his wallet before cashing it at the Lottery’s Sterling Heights office. Umanskiy plans to use the money to cover business expenses.

The winning ticket own-pick was purchased at the Quik Stop Market, 6984 Pontiac Trail, in West Bloomfield.

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 $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/.

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