A Gladwin County woman got a much needed boost playing Club Keno after finishing her bartending shift.
Teisha Hitchcock, of Gladwin, won $100,000 when her Club Keno numbers - 03-12-13-28-33-53-68-69-72 - matched nine of the 20 Club Keno numbers drawn in draw 1626932 on Sept. 20. That usually is a $25,000 prize, but she selected the KICKER option that multiplied the prize by four, yielding a $100,000 prize. She bought the winning ticket at Meadow Lanes, located at 430 West 5th Street in Gladwin.
"I had bought a Club Keno ticket before my shift and won $22, so I put $8 with it and bought another ticket after my shift," said the 35-year-old Hitchcock. "I was putting dishes away when I peeked at the drawing and saw eight of my numbers.
"I remember thinking: 'If 12 comes in I've won big!' Just after that thought passed, 12 hit and I dropped to my knees and started bawling. My co-workers all came running thinking something was wrong until I explained I was crying tears of joy.
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"I've always been a really hard worker, and the last year has been very hard. Winning this is like a fresh start and will help me get back on my feet quicker than I ever imagined."
Hitchcock visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. With her winnings she plans to buy a car, setup a college fund for her son, and then save the remainder.
"Even when I've struggled, I've always done my best to pay it forward. This is a blessing for always working hard, doing the right thing, and helping others," Hitchcock said.
Hitchcock is the second player to win a big prize playing Club Keno at Meadow Lanes this year. In February, Kent Crawford, of Gladwin, won $69,209 playing The Jack. It was Crawford's second big Lottery prize. In 2016, he won $100,000 playing Fantasy 5.
One of the Lottery's most popular games, Club Keno gives players 37 different ways to play and win. Players select up to 10 numbers to match from one to 80, with prize amounts determined based on the amount the player wagered. Club Keno may be played at Lottery retailers across the state. Drawings are every three and a half minutes. Results and live drawings may be found online at http://www.michiganlottery.com.
In 2017, Lottery players won about $423 million playing Club Keno, The KICKER, and The Jack.
About 97 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to vendors and retailers. In the 2017 fiscal year, the Lottery's contribution to Michigan's public schools was a record $924.1M. Since it began in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $21B to support public education in Michigan. For additional information, follow the Michigan Lottery on Facebook [click.noreply.michiganlottery.com], Instagram [click.noreply.michiganlottery.com], Twitter [click.noreply.michiganlottery.com] and online at www.michiganlottery.com [click.noreply.michiganlottery.com].
Source: Press Release
