The player’s daughter saw on Facebook that someone had won the Fantasy 5 jackpot at the store where her dad usually bought tickets. She quickly informed him, but it wasn’t until the next day that the player himself checked the newspaper and was elated to discover he was one of two winners that would split the Fantasy 5 jackpot.
But the surprise didn’t end there. The player, who wishes to remain anonymous, thought that he would be getting about $110,000. It wasn’t until he called the Lottery office to set up his winner’s appointment that he found out that the July 6 jackpot had actually been $441,876 and his winnings totaled $220,938! “I couldn’t believe it!” he said.
While speaking with Lottery staff, the lucky winner asked multiple times if they were sure about the amount. Even when they confirmed with him that there was no mistake, he still had a hard time believing his good fortune. “It was exciting to call the Lottery thinking I had won $110,000. It got even more exciting when I found out I had won double that amount!” said the player.
The 57-year-old father of four and his wife intend to use the windfall to pay off bills, make home improvements, invest for retirement and have some fun by taking a family vacation.
His winning ticket was sold at Busch’s 1029 located at 37083 6 Mile Rd. in Livonia. The second winning ticket was purchased in Warren at the Warren Market which is located at 28069 Mound Rd.
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 2011, the contribution to schools was over $727.3 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed over $16 billion to education in Michigan.
For information on all Lottery games, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at www.michiganlottery.com.
“The Michigan Lottery. All across the state good things happen.”
Contact: Andi Brancato, PR Director 517-335-5648
Agency: Michigan Lottery Public Relations
