LANSING, September 23, 2002 – Robert Sowa of Warren was shocked to learn he had won a $175,000 Mega Millions prize after matching the first five numbers in the September 10 drawing! The winning numbers for that day’s drawing were: 4, 6, 10, 21, 25 and the Gold Mega Ball number was 21.

The lucky 65-year-old man purchased his winning Mega Millions ticket at CVS/Pharmacy #08050, 31111 Schoenherr Road, in Warren.

"I looked up the numbers in the Macomb Daily the day after I purchased the ticket," Sowa said. "I was very excited to see that I had matched the first five numbers, but wasn’t sure what I had won. I immediately went to the Lottery’s regional office in Sterling Heights to find out what the ticket was worth. When Lottery officials told me that I won $175,000, I went completely numb!"

Sowa, who recently returned to college to take courses in computer repair, enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Pat, and his grandchildren. He said he kept the winning ticket pinned on a corkboard in his home prior to turning it in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing. The lucky winner added that he plans to save his winnings for retirement.

The last Big Game drawing took place on Tuesday, May 14, 2002. On Wednesday, May 15, 2002, The Big Game was replaced by Mega Millions. Mega Millions is a multistate lottery game in which the following states participate: Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington. Wagers cost $1 each and tickets may be purchased at more than 7,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

Mega Millions drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday, September 24, with an estimated jackpot of $30 million. For more information about Mega Millions, visit the Michigan Lottery’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery or the Mega Millions Web site at www.megamillions.com.

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