STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A Macomb County woman chose to receive $25,000 per year for the rest of her life after she bought a winning lottery ticket.
Helen Davlantes, 58, of Sterling Heights, bought a Lucky For Life ticket at the Shell gas station at 11541 East 15 Mile Road in Sterling Heights.
She matched the five white balls drawn on May 16: 12-19-34-39-45.
“My husband and I typically play other lottery games, but every once in a while, we will buy a Lucky for Life ticket,” Davlantes said. “I got home from walking our dog and my husband held up our ticket and said, ‘I think we just won big.’ I looked at the ticket and the winning numbers, and my whole body started tingling. It was such a mix of emotions, from excitement to utter disbelief.
“I called the lottery the next day, and it wasn’t until the lottery employee came back on the line and congratulated me on winning $25,000 a year for life that it started to really sink in.”
Davlantes visited Michigan Lottery headquarters and chose to receive annual payments of $25,000 instead of a $390,000 lump sum payment. Her annual payments will last for 20 years or life, whichever is greater.
She said she plans to save the money for retirement.
