(WWJ) She chose some special numbers that had meaning to her family, and won a big prize.
A 69-year-old woman in Southeast Michigan woman had beginner's luck when she won a $250,000 prize playing the Michigan Lottery's KENO! game for the very first time.
Lottery officials say the lucky player from Monroe County matched 10 of the 22 numbers drawn July 4. Her winning numbers were: 05-07-21-28-32-42-52-60-69-78.
She bought her winning ticket at the Kroger store, located at 3462 West Sterns Road in Lambertville, an unincorporated community near the Michigan-Ohio border.
"My husband stopped to purchase a KENO! ticket while we were at the store," said the player, who chose to remain anonymous. "I had never played before, but I had a few dollars on me, so I decided to purchase a ticket too. I picked a special combination of numbers made up of birthdays, our kids ages, etc. and got my ticket.
"The next day, my husband walked in the door and told me I had won," she said. "I didn't believe him until I looked the ticket over myself and saw I had matched all 10 numbers. It was exhilarating!"
The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim her prize. With her winnings she plans to pay bills, share with family, and save the remainder for retirement.
KENO! tickets can be purchased for $1. Players select 10 numbers from one to 80 for a chance to win prizes ranging from a free instant ticket up to $250,000. Drawings for the game take place at 7:30 p.m., seven days a week.
