Michigan Lottery
Michael Sopejstal’s winning Lucky for Lottery ticket.
CNN
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Michael Sopejstal, residing in Illinois, takes frequent trips to Michigan, driving through Indiana to eat at his favorite restaurant, and buying a Lucky for Life lottery ticket for 10 or 20 draws from the Michigan Lottery.
During a visit to a GoLo gas station on September 17, an error led to a 10-line lottery ticket being printed for a single draw, Sopejstal informed the Lottery that he wanted it.
“I checked my ticket one morning and saw that I had won $25,000 a year for life,” he told Lottery officials. “I immediately started thinking about all the things I could do with the money and whether I wanted to take the lump sum or annuity option. It was an amazing feeling!”
The 60-year-old visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize, opting for the one-time lump sum payment of $390,000, instead of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater, the Lottery said.
Sopejstal plans to use his prize money for travel and save the rest, as stated by the Lottery.
Lucky for Life is played in around two dozen states and Washington, D.C. Prizes vary from $3 to a top prize of $1,000 a day for life.
The overall odds of winning for each game are available on the game’s website. Sopejstal’s odds of winning five white balls on September 17 were 1 in more than 1.8 million.
