LANSING, March 6, 2009 – Watson Gregory is a very lucky Mega Millions player! He matched the first five white balls in the February 24 drawing to win a $250,000 prize!

The long-time Lottery player plans to build a new house with the prize money.

Gregory purchased the winning easy-pick ticket at Louie’s Fresh Market – Petoskey, 2394 E. Mitchell, in Petoskey.

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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