Persistent winner played twice a week for years, now she finally won
By Kate Northrop
KAWKAWLIN, Mich. — A Michigan lottery player said she's faithfully played Lotto 47 in the max two drawings a week since the game began decades ago, and she couldn't believe it when a $1.1 million jackpot finally came her way.
A Michigan woman devoted herself to the Michigan Lottery's Lotto 47 draw game since the day it launched years ago, and after all this time, a $1.1 million jackpot is hers.
The 65-year-old woman, who chose to remain anonymous, went "absolutely crazy" when her decades of dedication made her dream of winning a million dollars come true.
Staying true to the cadence of the game, she purchased her usual ticket at Beson's Supermarket on South Huron Road in Kawkawlin, a rural town about a 15-minute drive from Bay City.
"I started playing Lotto 47 decades ago when it began and have continued to play every Wednesday and Saturday since," the Bay County woman told the Lottery. "I was watching TV one night when I got a text from my neighbor telling me Beson's had sold a jackpot winning Lotto 47 ticket. I thought to myself it was cool they had sold a big winner, but it never crossed my mind that it could be me."
Lotto 47, which has grown to become one of the state's most popular progressive jackpot draw games, launched in 2005, replacing the previous Winfall game.
She checked her six numbers — 4, 18, 20, 26, 27, and 31 — for the March 21 draw, and she absolutely couldn't keep the results to herself.
"After my show ended, I checked my ticket and went absolutely crazy when I found out I was the winner!" she recalled to Lottery officials. "I called a few family members and my neighbor to tell them the big news."
She visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim her long-awaited prize, after which the Lottery announced her win on April 2. She opted to take the $762,000 cash option over the annuity payments for the full jackpot amount of $1.1 million. She'll save the winnings for now.
"Winning is such a blessing," the loyal lottery fan added. "I feel like I can breathe again!"
Earlier this year, another anonymous Michigan player won a $32.91 million Lotto 47 jackpot, the biggest Lotto 47 jackpot in history, using numbers he used for 20 years.
For an additional $1, players can add the Double Play option to their ticket, which gives the ticket a second chance to win up to $1.5 million in the nightly Double Play drawing using the same set of numbers. Players can also add the EZMatch feature to their ticket for an additional $1, which offers an instant chance to win up to $500.
The Lotto 47 jackpot currently stands at $1.2 million for the next drawing on Wednesday, April 8. Lotto 47 drawings take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:29 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $1 each.
All winning numbers, prizes, and odds are available on Lottery Post's Michigan Lottery Results page right after each drawing.
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What a beautiful ticket!
Congrats!
YAY finally broke even, PHEW!
"I called a few family members and my neighbor to tell them the big news."
They say don't tell anyone if you win, but am sure the neighbor has to be a close friend, because they even told them the local store sold a winning ticket.
Congratulations 🎉 on the win.
Now all you people that say you only need one line, well, I guess I need to up my game.
Went to the store to get my PB ticket for Saturday, tried as hard as I could, but the only words that left my mouth were "I will get one PB with Power Play please"
Oh well 🤷♂️
Never give up.
It is always a story when someone wins who has been playing for decades or if they win playing for the first time. How about the winners who have been playing for 2 years, or 5 years or 7 or 10. Why are those people shunned for telling their story. Every winner has a good story about the situation that caused them to win. Like letting someone get a quick pic in front of them in a store. Or buying next scratch ticket on a roll when they observe someone buying ten of them. Or just on a whim walking into a store and buying one that looked good on the wall. The length or shortness of time that you win is not as interesting as the reason you may have won.
DOESNT SAY
QUICK PICK or
her numbers WAS THE WINNING on the ticket
Congrats to the lucky lady, great start to summer.
Stories like this one, the recent $32.91 million Lotto 47 record just months ago, and the Macomb County guy who stuck with his numbers for 20 years show that persistence can pay off big in this game. Lotto 47's been delivering life-changers since '91. Congrats to her on the $1.1M; it makes you wonder if those faithful twice-weekly plays edge out the odds just a bit through sheer volume. Never give up, indeed, but play smart!