Cathy Newell poses for a photo with her son, Justin, after collecting a $240,206 Fantasy 5 jackpot at Lottery headquarters.
Work will never be the same for a lucky woman from Lewiston who won a $240,206 jackpot playing the Michigan Lottery’s Fantasy 5 game.
Cathy Newell matched the five numbers drawn in Monday’s Fantasy 5 drawing – 06-10-24-29-32 – to win the big prize. She bought her ticket at the Lewiston Marathon gas station, located at 5021 County Road 612 in Lewiston. Lewiston is located about 25 miles southeast of Gaylord in Montmorency County.
“When I saw that the Fantasy 5 jackpot had climbed to over $225,000, I decided to buy a ticket,” said Newell. “I have twin boys, so I played their birthday (6) and jersey numbers from the sports they played in high school (10-24-29-32).”
When Newell, who has worked at the Lewiston Marathon for 33 years, got to work Tuesday morning, she scanned her ticket and got the surprise of a lifetime: she had won a $240,206 Fantasy 5 jackpot.
“I’ve scanned thousands of tickets for players, and when I saw a message saying to contact the Lottery I knew something was off,” said Newell. “I must have scanned it five times just to make sure what I was seeing was right.
Cathy Newell’s jackpot winning Fantasy 5 ticket.
“It’s such an amazing feeling to win the Lottery. I keep telling my family that I can’t believe I won, and I keep replaying the moment when I scanned the ticket over and over again in my head.”
The news of Newell’s big win spread quickly around the small town of Lewiston, and she’s noticed an increase in Lottery customers at the Marathon station.
“Everyone is so happy for me,” said Newell. “Some people have come in to the store and asked for a good luck hug, or have asked for me to touch their tickets for good luck.”
Newell plans to pay off her house, buy a new car, take a trip to Florida, and help some family members with her winnings.
“Winning definitely takes some pressure off of me and my family. It will be nice to be able to help some of my family members who are in need,” Newell 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 that starts at $100,000. Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 p.m. Tonight’s Fantasy 5 jackpot is $105,000.
