By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
LINCOLN PARK — No “maybe” about it: A Lincoln Park woman is a quarter-million dollars richer after confirming her lottery numbers.
Amanda Gonzales-Osborne is a longtime player of the Michigan Lottery, with the Fantasy 5 game a favorite. Prior to the Nov. 13 drawing, she purchased a ticket at Dearborn’s C & A Fuel Stop, 3300 Greenfield, hoping as always that the combination of numbers would reveal a winner. Previously, she estimated she’d won about $200 in lottery play over the years.
That day’s prize for the Fantasy 5 game was impressive: $287,120. Gonzales-Osborne’s husband, Michael, realized the size of the jackpot and asked her to verify the numbers.
“Maybe we won,” he thought.
Using the Michigan Lottery phone application, she removed any doubt.
“I couldn’t stop screaming,” she said.
The happy couple plan to take care of some bills with their winnings, and likely continue playing the state lottery. More than 95 cents of every dollar spent on tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund. In fiscal year 2011, more than $717 million has been contributed to Michigan education.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected].)