A Grand Rapids man had his friend scan his winning Powerball ticket on the Michigan Lottery app to see how much he won and was shocked when he told him he won $1 million!
The winning ticket
Juan Silvera, 69, hit it big during the March 30 Powerball drawing. The winning white ball numbers for that drawing were 12, 13, 33, 50, and 52, and the Powerball number was 23.
Silvera purchased his winning ticket at Paris Spirits & Wine, located at 2871 East Paris Avenue Southeast in Kentwood. He matched all five of the white ball numbers to win the $1 million prize.
Silvera told lottery officials:
I play Powerball regularly. After the Powerball drawing, I took my ticket to the store, scanned it, and got a message to visit the (Michigan) Lottery office. I showed my friend the message I got, so, he scanned my ticket using the Lottery app. When he showed me his phone screen with the amount of $1 million, I was in disbelief!
Saving that money
Silvera recently made his way to the lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With those winnings in hand now, he said he plans on saving it.
“Winning is an excellent feeling! As of now, I plan to save my winnings and continue working,” said Silvera.
Sometimes, that's the smart thing to do, so enjoy your winnings!
An even bigger win for this Michigan Lottery player
Another big winner came forward to claim their prize, but at least his jaw was off the floor by the time he claimed his winnings.
The Oakland County man said his “jaw hit the floor and stayed there” after scratching off his Jackson instant ticket and winning $2 million!
The 54-year-old player chose to remain anonymous. He purchased the winning ticket from Orchard Market Place, located at 31511 West 13 Mile Road in Farmington Hills.
He told officials:
Whenever my friend goes to buy lottery tickets, I always give him some money and tell him to buy me a few too. He picked out this Jackson ticket for me and I scratched it as soon as I got it. When I saw I won $2 million, my jaw hit the floor and stayed there! I was in total awe, and honestly, I still am! I can't begin to explain the feeling of winning this amount of money.
We hope he shares some of those winnings with his friend who bought the ticket! The lucky man added, “I haven't told anyone other than my friend who bought the ticket for me, but I plan to surprise my family soon by showing them my big check!”
The big winner recently made his way to the lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. Instead of taking the winnings in annuity payments, he chose a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million. With his winnings, he said he plans on investing and saving for his children's college funds.
Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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