An Illinois man won $25,000 a year for life after playing Michigan’s Lucky For Life lottery, according to the Michigan Lottery.
Michael Sopejstal, 60, scored big after the winning ticket was announced on September 17. Sopejstal bought his winning ticket — which included the numbers 11, 15, 17, 24 and 48 — at a GoLo gas station in New Buffalo, Michigan.
Sopejstal said a clerical error played a role in his big win.
“I always get a lottery ticket for life for 10 or 20 draws while I’m here.” Sopejstal told the Michigan Lottery. “I asked the dealer for a 10-draw ticket, but he accidentally printed a 10-line ticket for one draw. , but I told him I still wanted it.”
“One morning I checked my ticket and saw that I had won $25,000 a year for life. “I immediately started thinking about what I can do with the money and whether I want to take a lump sum or an annuity option,” continued Sopejstal. “It was an amazing feeling!”
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Sopejstal recently went to Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He chose to receive his winnings in one lump sum of $390,000 instead of $25,000 a year for 20 years (or for life – whichever is longer), lottery officials said. He plans to travel and save the rest of his winnings.
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Kevork Djansezian/Getty
Sopejstal explained that although he lives in Illinois, he goes to “Michigan every few weeks to eat at [his] favorite restaurant.”
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Lucky For Life tickets cost $2 for a chance to win prizes ranging from a total of $3 to $1,000 a day for life.
Players must match all five winning numbers ranging from 1 to 48 and Lucky Ball ranging from 1 to 18 to win the game’s top prize. Those who manage to win a ticket that matches all five winning numbers, but not the Lucky Ball, will win $25,000 a year for life.
Lottery For Life draws take place every day at 22:38. Sopejstal’s odds of winning his prize on Sept. 17 were 1 in more than 1.8 million, according to the game’s website.
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Source: HIS Education