Lucky mistake? Illinois man wins big after error while purchasing Michigan lotto ticket

A Michigan clerk's error turned out to be a big win for an Illinois man purchasing a lottery ticket in New Buffalo.

Michael Sopejstal, 60, got much more than he asked for when purchasing a lottery ticket at the GoLo gas station in September — in more ways than one.

Sopejstal said he travels to Michigan every few weeks to dine at his favorite restaurant, and typically purchases a Lucky For Life lotto ticket while he's in town.

“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," Sopejstal told lottery officials.

That ticket ended up matching the five white balls drawn on Sept. 17 — which were 11, 15, 17, 24 and 48 — earning him $25,000 a year for life.

“I checked my ticket one morning and saw that I had won $25,000 a year for life," he said. "I immediately started thinking about all the things I could do with the money and whether I wanted to take the lump sum or annuity option. It was an amazing feeling.”

Sopejstal recently claimed his big win, choosing to take a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000, rather than the annuity payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater.

He said he plans to use the winnings to travel, but will also save some of it.