Joanne Kingman poses for a photo with her husband, Dan, after collecting a $195.361 Fantasy 5 jackpot.
Life is a little sweeter now for a baker from Dowagiac who won a $195,361 Fantasy 5 jackpot.
Joanne Kingman won the big prize after matching the five numbers drawn – 01-09-16-20-31 – in the Aug. 7 Fantasy 5 drawing. She bought her winning ticket at the Family Fare grocery store, located at 56151 South M-51 in Dowagiac where she works as the bakery manager.
“I always buy my tickets at the store where I work,” said Kingman who regularly plays Fantasy 5. “I checked my ticket at the store’s self-scanner on Sunday after my shift and it said to see the clerk. When the clerk at the service desk scanned it she said ‘How much did you win? This says you need to contact the Lottery!’
“I had her print off the winning numbers for me and as I checked them one-by-one my heart started pounding. I knew I had won at least $100,000, so I headed home to tell my husband.”
After telling her husband the good news, the pair went to their computer to see how much the Fantasy 5 jackpot was for Aug. 7.
“When we saw I had won almost $200,000, we were so excited that we started screaming,” said Kingman. “I think I even blurted out a couple of words you can’t say on TV. Once we calmed down, my husband told me to sign the ticket, and after I did that we put it away in a safe.”
Joanne Kingman’s jackpot-winning Fantasy 5 ticket.
The news of Kingman’s jackpot win has traveled fast.
“My co-workers found out pretty quickly, and some of the employees at our neighboring store know as well,” said Kingman. “Everyone is pretty happy for me.”
With their winnings, the Kingmans plan to purchase a new home.
“I’ve played the Lottery for as long as I can remember and it feels incredible to win a jackpot,” Kingman said.
Each Fantasy 5 play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, EZmatch may be added to a Fantasy 5 ticket, giving players a chance to win up to $500 instantly. Fantasy 5 players select five numbers from one to 39. Players who match all five Fantasy 5 numbers drawn win a jackpot guaranteed to start at $100,000. Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 p.m. Tonight’s Fantasy 5 jackpot is $142,000.
