It’s happened again. Another Michigan Lottery player has won a seven-figure prize. And once again, the windfall came thanks to the the multi-state Powerball drawing.
On Monday, the Michigan Lottery announced a Ypsilanti woman has come forward to claim her $1 million prize from a Powerball ticket she purchased earlier this year. It is the second such announcement in two weeks. It’s also the 26th time in 2021 someone in Michigan has won $1 million or more playing the lottery.
January winner comes forward to claim $1 million prize
Back in January, Yvonne Peterson bought her Powerball ticket at the Joe Hall Quick Stop in Ypsilanti.
“The jackpot was getting up there, so I decided to buy a ticket,” Peterson told the Michigan Lottery. Indeed, the Powerball jackpot had increased to an estimated $550 million ahead of that Wednesday’s drawing on Jan. 13.
Peterson had bought five $2 Powerball tickets, actually. She was not in a hurry, though, to find out if she had won.
“About a week later ,I took the ticket in to the store to see if it was a winner,” she explained. What she discovered was on one of her tickets she’d picked all five of the white balls correctly — 04-19-23-25-49.
Achieving that unlikely feat had made Peterson the winner of a cool $1 million.
“Winning this much is overwhelming,” she said, “but I’m excited to be able to help my family!”
The MI Lottery did not disclose whether Peterson chose to receive her prize all at once as a lump sum or via the 30-year annuity payout. After claiming her prize, Peterson plans to share her newfound riches with family members, buy a new home, and save the rest.
Michigan Lottery millionaires well ahead of 2020 pace
As noted, it was the second time in two weeks someone from Michigan has claimed the $1 million prize for picking the five white balls correctly in the Powerball.
Last week, a Clinton Township woman did the same after having purchased her ticket through the MI Lottery website back in March.
The odds of picking the five white balls correctly (and not the Powerball) to win the $1 million prize are 1 in 11,688,054.
Getting four white balls plus the Powerball awards $50,000. The chances of doing that are 1 in 913,130. Meanwhile, getting just four white balls correct, difficult enough at 1 in 36,525, awards $100.
The Powerball is available to play in 45 states plus Washington, DC, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Peterson is the second lottery player from Ypsilanti who has realized a seven-figure score this year. Back in January, another Ypsilanti player won $4 million playing the state’s $4,000,000 Cash game.
Out of 26 Michiganders winning $1 million or more playing the lottery this year, seven have done so through the Michigan Lottery connection with the Powerball drawings.
That total of 26 winners of a $1 million or more through four-and-a-half months puts Michigan well ahead of its 2020 pace. According to the MI Lottery database, there were 48 winners of prizes $1 million or more last year.
