A Novi woman won a $1 million Powerball prize from the Michigan Lottery in only her second time playing the popular multi-state game.

Nancy Simmons, 52, won the $1 million prize after matching the five white balls drawn Wednesday: 06-07-16-23-26. She bought her winning ticket at Old West Tobacco, located at 45029 West Pontiac Trail Road in Novi.

“My mom always tells me: ‘You can’t win if you don’t play.’ So I decided to buy a ticket for the Aug. 19 drawing,” said Simmons. “I won $4, so I decided to buy a few more tickets for Wednesday’s drawing.”

Simmons decision to buy five more Powerball plays was a good one. She matched five numbers to win $1 million.

“That night, my mom told me she had the numbers and asked if I wanted to check my tickets,” said Simmons. “I was so tired and knew if I actually won I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I went to bed.

“The next morning, I checked the numbers with my mom and couldn’t believe I had won $1 million. It’s still all so surreal.”

Simmons visited Lottery headquarters on Tuesday to claim her big prize. With her winnings she plans to buy a boat, and then save the remainder.

“I feel beyond blessed to have won. Winning makes me feel so at ease,” said Simmons.

Powerball plays may be purchased for $2 each at Lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com. A “Power Play” option that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times to a maximum of $2 million may be added to any Powerball play for only $1.

The Powerball drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday and may be watched live online at: http://www.powerballlive.com/powerball. Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.