Winning 9.4 billion VND in the lottery thanks to a mistake by the lottery ticket seller

A man living in Illinois (USA) was lucky to win the lottery with a prize worth 390,000 USD (9.4 billion VND) due to a mistake by the employee of the lottery store.

The lucky winner is Mr. Michael Sopejstal (60 years old), according to CNN on November 25. Although he lives in Illinois, Mr. Sopejstal drives a few dozen kilometers to Michigan every few weeks to eat at his favorite restaurant and buy lottery tickets .

Michael Sopejstal's lottery ticket.

The lottery game Mr. Sopejstal played was Lucky for Life, which costs $2 per number and he only picks one number for 10 to 20 draws each time he buys it . However, on September 17, the store clerk made a mistake and printed a ticket with 10 numbers for one draw. Mr. Sopejstal took the ticket anyway.

A few days later, he checked his numbers and was delighted to learn that he had won the lottery, which would entitle him to $25,000 a year for the rest of his life. "I immediately thought about all the things I could do with the money and whether I should take it in a lump sum or in annuities. It was a great feeling!", Mr. Sopejstal told Michigan Lottery officials.

Mr. Sopejstal went to claim his prize and chose the lump sum option of $390,000. The lucky man said he planned to use the money for travel and savings.

Lucky for Life is a lottery that is played in about 20 states in the US. Each set of numbers costs $2 and players can win between $3 and $1,000 every day for life. To win the top prize, the ticket must match all six numbers, including five numbers from 1-48 and a lucky number from 1-18. Mr. Sopejstal's ticket matched five of the numbers drawn: 11 - 15 - 17 - 24 - 48. It is unclear whether the store employee who sold the ticket will be awarded a prize for his "mistake".

(According to Thanh Nien, November 26)