LANSING, March 4, 2009 – Shelly Gruszczynski of Utica was in utter shock when she won $2 million in a drawing Tuesday night during halftime at the Detroit Pistons basketball game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Gruszczynski had won $1,000 on a $20 Michigan Lottery Instant ticket, which qualified her for the finalist drawing.

Gruszczynski, who collected her prize money on Wednesday, plans to become debt free, purchase several gifts, take a vacation and save with her new small fortune.

Other finalists who participated in the drawing with Gruszczynski were Carol Rogers from Kalamazoo; David Young from Clarkston; Shane Aldrich from Howell and Christine Blanke from Pinckney. They each received a $5,000 appearance fee for participating in the drawing. The five lucky finalists were chosen from a pool of 601 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.

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Shelly Gruszczynski of Utica, wearing the red shirt, reacts upon realizing she has won $2 million in a Michigan Lottery drawing. (Photo credit: www.domagalskiphotography.com, courtesy of Michigan Lottery)

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