BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – A Big Rapids woman said she thought she may have been dreaming when she discovered she won a $100,000 Powerball prize on the morning of July 15.
The winner, Polly Byers, won $50,000 in the July 15 drawing, which was doubled by the Michigan Lottery’s “Power Play.”
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“I was on a weekend trip with some girlfriends and woke up early in the morning,” Byers said. “No one else was up, so I stayed in bed and checked my email and had an email from the Lottery saying I had won a prize.”
When Byers saw the email did not include the prize’s amount, she logged onto her lottery account to check her winnings. When she saw the prize was worth $100,000, she logged out and then logged back into her account to make sure the amount was real.
“I must have checked my account 50 times throughout the day just to make sure I really won,” Byers said.
Byers plans to share part of her winnings with her family and save the rest.
“My husband and I recently retired, so winning this means the world to us and gives us some financial security,” Byers said.
Powerball plays can be purchased for $2 at Michigan Lottery retailers across the state. “Power Play” options that give players a chance to win up to $2 million by doubling non-jackpot prizes can be added to any Powerball play for $1.
Powerball drawings take place at 10:59 on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Drawings can be watched live on the Powerball’s website.