Man learns he won Powerball prize on way to work — but couldn’t tell Michigan family
A Michigan man who was on his way to work in the morning stopped to scan his Powerball tickets earlier this month.
“When I got a message to file a claim and realized how much I’d won, I was amazed,” Lawrence Thompson told Michigan Lottery officials when claiming his prize.
The 49-year-old man from Grand Blanc had matched four white balls and the Powerball in the Oct. 10 drawing with numbers 03-06-11-17-22 PB:11, according to an Oct. 26 news release.
This qualified him for a $50,000 prize — but because he added on the Power Play option, his winnings were doubled for a total of $100,000.
“All I wanted to do was call my friends and family to tell them the good news, but my phone battery was dead, so I had to wait until after work,” Thompson said in the release. “It felt like the longest day ever because I was so eager to finish work and tell people the good news!”
Thompson bought his winning ticket at Grand Blanc Liquor, officials said. He “plans to live comfortably” with his newfound cash.
The Powerball jackpot hasn’t been won since Aug. 3. The next drawing is on Oct. 26 and has an estimated grand prize of $700 million.
Grand Blanc is about 60 miles northwest of Detroit.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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