LANSING, MI — These days people are conditioned to be suspicious of notifications of lottery wins that unexpectedly arrive, so one could be sympathetic when a Michigan man first thought his real winner alert was a hoax.
The Kalamazoo man couldn't believe his luck. In fact, he didn't believe it at first.
Gunther Hega, 57, matched four of the five white numbers drawn — 1, 19, 31, 48, and 61 (the Powerball number was 6) — in the July 27 drawing, while also playing the Power Play option to multiply his prize.
But when he was alerted of the $100,000 win, he thought someone was trying to scam him.
"I play a little bit on the online draw games each week," Hega said. "I've won some small prizes, and usually get notified they were transferred to my account. On Sunday, I got an email saying I needed to visit the Lottery office to make a claim. At first, I thought it could be a hoax.
"After double checking my numbers, I realized what I was reading was the real deal: I had won $100,000!"
Hega bought his winning ticket online through the Michigan Lottery's website. Any Michigan resident can play over the Internet, rather than visiting a physical store location. Lottery tickets are available online for:
Hega visited lottery headquarters in Lansing last week to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans on finishing some home repairs, donating to charity and saving the remainder.
"Winning makes everything easier. It's a relief to know that I can take care of some things at my home before I retire," Hega said.