Oakland County lottery club claims Michigan's largest prize -- $1.05B Mega Millions jackpot

NOVI, Mich. (FOX 2) - A $1.05 billion Mega Millions prize has been claimed by an Oakland County lottery club.

The four-member Wolverine FLL Club won the largest prize in Michigan’s history after purchasing a ticket at the Novi Kroger on Grand River Avenue.

 "A club member saw a sign that the jackpot was up to $1 billion and remembered that they hadn’t bought their tickets yet, so they pulled into the Kroger," said the club’s representative and attorney, Kurt D. Panouses, esq. "When you play of course you dream of winning, but the reality of it has been incredible."

The club chose to receive the prize in a lump-sum, so they will get about $557 million after taxes.

Kurt D. Panouses with the winning prize.

"This kind of money will impact the families of our club members for generations to come. We plan to stay humble and pay it forward through charitable giving in southeast Michigan," Panouses said.

The winning numbers were drawn Jan. 22 but had remained unclaimed.

Kroger received a $50,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket. The company announced that it is donating the money to the Food Bank Council of Michigan.

 "Kroger is committed to our mission of feeding our communities," said Rachel Hurst, Corporate Affairs Manager, The Kroger Co. of Michigan. "Strong partnerships with both the state of Michigan and the Food Bank Council of Michigan are integral in driving our mission forward."

The jackpot tops the previous record for the largest lottery prize in Michigan, a $337 million Powerball jackpot won on Aug. 15, 2012. The prize is also the third-largest prize won in the U.S.