NEW BUFFALO, Mich. (WFLA) — An Illinois man visiting Michigan to eat at his favorite restaurant left the state a lottery winner after a "lucky mistake," according to the Michigan Lottery.
Michael Sopejstal, 60, won big after he bought a "Lucky for Life" lottery ticket at a GoLo gas station in New Buffalo.
“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."
The mistake led to Sopejstal winning the game's second top prize — $25,000 for life. His ticket matched the five white balls drawn on Sept. 17: 11, 15, 17, 24 and 48.
“I checked my ticket one morning and saw that I had won $25,000 a year for life," he said. "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!"
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.
