LANSING, October 30, 2010 – A lucky Upper Peninsula Lottery player has won last night’s Mega Millions jackpot!

The winning ticket, worth an estimated $140 million, was sold at Grain N Grape in Gladstone. Lottery officials look forward to hearing from the winner, who must call the Lottery headquarters in Lansing to schedule an appointment to claim the prize. The phone number is 517-373-1237.

“Every lottery hopes to have the jackpot winner and I’m thrilled that Michigan is having its turn,” said Lottery Commissioner M. Scott Bowen. “Congratulations to the lucky player!”

The winner will have the option of taking either an estimated one-time payment of $94.3 million (less taxes) or the estimated $140 million annuitized jackpot in payments over 26 years (less taxes). The retailer will receive a $50,000 bonus once the prize is claimed.

The $140 million ticket is the second sold in Michigan this year. In June, the RRRLB Club of Kalamazoo won a jackpot worth $36 million.

Over 94 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 2010, the contribution to schools was nearly $700 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to education in Michigan.

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