“This can't be right!” Man wins $1M in Michigan Powerball drawing
An Otsego man won a $1 million prize from the Powerball drawin on Sept. 24.
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Every Friday, Mark Brooks makes a stop to pick up two Powerball tickets. It's a routine - make a stop, get two tickets, check if they won, and repeat next week if necessary. It's no longer necessary.
Brooks, of Otsego, stopped in to pick up a ticket for the September 24 drawing. His numbers were 03-09-21-24-29 with a Powerball of 22. He matched all five white balls.
Brooks told the Michigan Lottery he bought his winning ticket at Otsego Party Store in Otsego, about 20 miles northwest of Kalamazoo. Buying his tickets on Friday is part of his normal routine.
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"I stop and purchase two Powerball tickets every Friday," said Brooks. "The week after the drawing, I stopped at the store on my way home from work to check my tickets. I scanned my Powerball ticket and got a message to file a claim, so I asked the clerk to check it. The clerk got the same message, so I took the ticket back and decided to check the numbers when I got home."
With both he and the clerk getting the same message, there was one thing left to do: check the numbers. But he couldn't believe what he found.
"When I pulled up the winning numbers online and started looking my ticket over, my first thought was: ‘These numbers are looking really familiar!’ When I realized I’d won $1 million, I was amazed. All I could think was: ‘This can’t be right!’"
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The 60-year-old claimed his prize this week and said he plans to pays bills and save the rest for retirement.
The Powerball jackpot was last won on August 3. One ticket bought in Pennsylvania won the $206.9 million jackpot. The current jackpot stands at $508 million.