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Gas Attendant’s Mistake Wins One Man $25K for Life

November 27, 2023

One gas attendant’s mistake won a man in Illinois $25K a year for life. He is now nearly $400K richer thanks to a mix-up in his numbers pick.

Michigan Lottery officials said 60-year-old Michael Sopejstal won $25,000 a year for life when a Lucky for Life lottery ticket he bought matched the five white balls drawn on Sept. 17. The winning numbers were 11-15-17-24-48. However, that’s not the end of his story.

“I come to Michigan every few weeks to eat at my favorite restaurant and I always get a Lucky for Life ticket for 10 or 20 draws while I’m here,” said Sopejstal. “I asked the retailer for a ticket for 10 draws, but he accidentally printed a ticket with 10 lines for one draw, but I told him I still wanted it.”

Sopejstal traveled to The Great Lakes State from his hometown in Illinois and bought the winning ticket at a GoLo gas station in New Buffalo, near Lake Michigan, about 70 miles from Chicago. However, he just realized he won the big cash prize.

“I checked my ticket one morning and saw I had won $25,000 a year for life. 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,” Sopejstal explained. “It was an amazing feeling!”

Sopejstal recently visited lottery headquarters to claim his prize and chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $390,000. He decided on this option instead of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater, the Lottery said. With his winnings, he plans to travel and then save the remainder.

For just $2 per play, Lucky for Life gives Lottery players a chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to a lifetime of cash. To win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life, players must match all five winning numbers ranging from 1 to 48, plus one Lucky Ball ranging from 1 to 18. Players who match all five winning numbers but not the Lucky Ball will win $25,000 a year for life.

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