This is going to be one of those stories where you ask yourself…"Why doesn't that ever happen to me?" Even Richard Hopper Sr. of Niles has to shake his head when he thinks about the sheer luck involved in his million dollar win Friday night in the Mega Millions Lottery drawing here in Michigan. It's also proof of the old adage "one man's trash is another man's treasure."
It was all a simple mistake — but it turned into a very luck night for the 69 year old Niles man. Hopper says he got the winning ticket at the Sunrise Sunset Party Store at 1009 Huntly Road in Niles purely by coincidence. Hopper tells the story this way: "When I stopped to buy my Mega Millions ticket, the clerk said he had accidentally printed an easy pick for another player who didn't want the ticket, and asked if I wanted to buy it or if I wanted another ticket." He says, "I decided to buy the ticket that had already been printed off and boy, am I glad I did!"
Hopper matched the five white balls drawn — 18-41-50-68-70 — in Friday's drawing to win the $1-million prize. When Hopper checked his ticket Saturday morning, he thought he'd won $100,000. Sure enough, one man's trash turned into Richard Hopper's treasure.
He tells us, "When I was looking at the winning numbers, I remember thinking 'boy, those look familiar.'" He adds, "At first I thought I had won $100,000 and I was pleasantly surprised when I learned I had really won $1-million." That was just the beginning of a long holiday weekend.
Hopper says, "Sitting on $1-million all weekend was nerve wracking. It was definitely the longest weekend I've ever had." He
visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing on Wednesday to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay off bills and save the remainder for a rainy day.
Meanwhile, for the rest of us, Friday's Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $251-million. If a Michigan player win's Friday's jackpot, it would be the largest Mega Millions prize ever won in the state. A Port Huron couple, Ralph & Mary Stebbins, won $208-million on April 22, 2005.
Mega Millions drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday evening. Each Mega Millions play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a "Megaplier" that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington D.C, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In the photo: Richard Hopper Sr. (right), and his son, Rich, pose for a photo after collecting Richard's $1 million Mega Millions prize.
