Lucky for life lottery: Clerk’s mistake leads to $25k annual payout to a man

An Illinois man is especially grateful this holiday season because of a cashier’s blunder that led to a winning Lucky for Life ticket jackpot.
Michael Sopejstal, 60, won the grand prize when his Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on September 17—11-15-17-24-48—according to a press release from the Michigan Lottery. The GoLo petrol station, situated at 102 West Buffalo Street in New Buffalo, is where he purchased his winning ticket.

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“Every few weeks, I travel to Michigan to dine at my favorite restaurant, and while I’m here, I always get a Lucky for Life ticket for 10 or 20 draws,” Sopejstal said.
“I asked the retailer for a ticket for 10 draws, but he accidentally printed a ticket with 10 lines for one draw, but I told him I still wanted it.”

“One morning, I noticed when I checked my ticket that I had won a lifetime prize of $25,000. I instantly began to consider all of the things I could do with the money and whether I should choose the annuity or lump sum option. It was a wonderful sensation.”

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Recently, Mr. Sopejstal went to Lottery headquarters to pick up his prize. As opposed to receiving annuity payments of $25,000 annually for 20 years or the rest of his life, he opted to collect his prize as a $390,000 lump sum settlement, whichever is greater. With his winnings, he plans to travel and then save the remainder.