Postal workers each paid $10 a week into Mega Millions
LANSING, Mich. — Perseverance and planning ahead with a storm bearing down on the region paid off for a group of postal worker friends, who came forward Friday to claim their $29 million jackpot.
"We'd been playing for so long, I felt we had to win sooner or later," said Hosea Person, 48. He and 12 others from the priority mail processing center in Romulus had bought Mega Millions tickets for 12 years before hitting it big Feb. 1.
Hosea and his wife, Charlene Person, 48, represented the P1 Gold Lottery Club at a press conference Friday at the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing.
The $93 million Mega Millions jackpot will be split with a winner in Indiana. The Michigan group chose the cash option, which amounts to $29 million and change before taxes. They didn't say how they would split the money.
The winners, all current or retired workers, each chipped in $10 a week to buy 65 tickets for each of the twice-weekly Mega Millions drawings. Hosea Person wouldn't say where the winners live.
The lottery club won $10,000 in 2006, a win that "kept us going," Hosea Person said.
Hosea Person bought the tickets for the group and purchased the ones that included the winning combination at a Meijer in Belleville on his way home from work Tuesday.
"I said I'd better buy the tickets on the way home instead of late at night because of the blizzard," he said.
Wednesday morning, he turned on the television to "see how much snow we got," and heard a winning Mega Millions ticket had been sold in Belleville.
"I said (to Charlene), 'We won!'" Hosea Person told reporters.
"We were shouting and screaming and going around the house singing 'We're in the Money,' " Charlene Person said.
The Persons, who have sons ages 16 and 15, don't have plans yet for their share of the jackpot other than to "stimulate the economy," Hosea Person said. Their 16-year-old son has already asked for a car.
According to Lottery officials, other members of the club plan to use some of their winnings on college tuition for children and grandchildren, cars, houses and charities.
None of the winners who are still working plans to quit their jobs, but they will quit playing Mega Millions. Hosea Person joked the group may switch to playing Powerball and try to win that lottery, too.
P1 Gold Lottery Club is Michigan's 12th Mega Millions jackpot winner, according to Lottery officials. The state's largest single jackpot, a Mega Millions prize worth $208 million, was won by Ralph and Mary Stebbins of Port Huron in April 2005.
Congratulations , happy spendings and enjoy!!!
it's going to take alot more than that guys share to "stimulate the economy"
Persistence pays. You can't win if you don't play.
Good for them! WTG!
On to the PB now?
Good idea!
Congratulations on your big win!
It's a tidy sum of approximately $1.36 Million dollars each, after taxes are taken out initially and then Fed takes remainder 10% out next year. Sometimes "teams" get too big, and therefore ruin opportunity to collect enough for each member to receive 'early' retirement. Yet, at least 13 more people are joyous in the good 'ole U.S.A. this month!
Its good to se epeople of all color win
Wow .....................
Serious?
I would never like to win with a group. Next thing you know, people gonna be coming from no where and try to sue.
Congratulation to all the winners....
Really?
for real?
Congratulations to all the winners, enjoy your good fortune.
"Their 16-year-old son has already asked for a car."
We all can relate.
It's nice to see a group of "average" people win the jackpot.
Yes Congratulations, enjoy your winnings, Me next soon and very soon!!!
If you do the math thats 10 x 52 x 12 = $6240.00
Thats dedication that paid off. Job well done players.
I've been running a pool at work for several years playing Powerball and Louisiana Lotto and sometimes the Millionaire Raffle. With Powerball at $63 million, maybe we'll hit it.
13 Players @ $10 per week =$130.00
130 X 52 weeks = $6760 a year
6760 X 12 years in the making = $81.120 total group investment
Or Like Sully16 says $6240 total individual investment
Thats alot of money, I never keep track. ( I don't want to know ) LOL
"We were shouting and screaming and going around the house singing 'We're in the Money,' " Charlene Person said.
Man, I can't wait to have that same experience!
I have been playing the lottery for 7 years. I have not hit anything worth mentioning. Congrats to the winners.
u r right about that,that why i play my own #'s no one know my number
i have been playing the same numbers for 81/2 years so when i do hit i hope the pot is large