LANSING, June 2, 2008 – The May 23 Fantasy 5 jackpot worth $127,811 has been claimed! Larry Elsass from Ohio matched all five numbers in the drawing to win the prize.

The Lottery regular, who tries his luck in both Michigan and Ohio, has only been playing the Lottery since the beginning of 2008.

Elsass told Lottery officials that he learned of his good fortune after taking his ticket to a Lottery retailer for validation. When "please file claim at Lottery office" showed up on his pay slip, he was in disbelief. He didn't know how much his ticket was worth until having it validated at Lottery Central in Lansing. He was in complete shock then!

The lucky winner plans to pay bills, purchase a Harley-Davison motorcycle, and save the rest of his prize money. Elsass enjoys fishing in Michigan in his free time – both in the summer and in the winter.

The winning easy pick ticket was purchased at Sunrise Store #54, 6040 King Rd., in Marine City.

Fantasy 5 drawings are conducted seven days a week. Jackpots start at $100,000 and grow by approximately $5,000 daily.

Over 95 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 retailers. In fiscal year 2007, the contribution to schools was $748.9 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $14.3 billion to education in Michigan.

For additional information, please visit the Lottery's Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery.

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