LANSING, MI -- Nicholas Vasu thought something was wrong with his Michigan Lottery account when he received a message that he’d won a large Powerball prize. It turns out he had nothing to worry about and was in fact, a lucky winner.
“I am an avid online player,” said Vasu, 78, of Southfield. “When I saw an email from the Lottery the morning after the drawing telling me I’d won, I thought I’d been hacked. I logged into my Lottery account and saw a balance of $200,000, I felt so relieved that it was real!”
Vasu matched four white balls and the Powerball -- 01-11-22-47-68, PB: 07 -- in the drawing held on Sept. 18 to win a $50,000 prize. Vasu also played the Power Play option in that drawing which multiplied his win by four, leading to a $200,000 prize. Vasu bought his ticket on the Michigan Lottery website.
Vasu plans on using the money to pay bills and donate to charity.
For the latest on Michigan Lottery, check out the official Michigan Lottery site, which also offers more information on instant tickets, raffles and other lottery games.
The last players from Michigan to win a Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot is the Breakfast Club lottery club which claimed a $842 million jackpot in June 2024. The members plan to use the money to buy a home in Florida and travel.
And while they were lucky winners, it’s smart for players to check their tickets immediately as a Mega Millions winner worth $1 million sold in Southfield in 2023 went unclaimed. The money instead went to the state’s School Aid Fund.
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