‘Utter disbelief.’ Wife returns from walking the dog to husband holding big lotto win
A Michigan couple was left stunned when they learned how much they won on a lottery ticket.
Helen Davlantes, 58, took her dog for a walk in Sterling Heights. When she returned, her husband was holding up a Lucky for Life lottery ticket, according to a June 5 news release from the Michigan Lottery.
“I think we just won big,” he told her, according to the release.
Davlantes had purchased the ticket for $2 per play at a gas station.
“I looked at the ticket and the winning numbers, and my whole body started tingling. It was such a mix of emotions from excitement to utter disbelief,” she told lottery officials.
Davlantes matched the five white balls drawn on May 16. Her prize was $25,000 a year for life.
“I called the Lottery the next day, and it wasn’t until the Lottery employee came back on the line and congratulated me on winning $25,000 a year for life that it started to really sink in,” she said.
Davlantes chose to receive her prize as annuity payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater, as opposed to a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000.
She said she plans to put the money toward her retirement.
Sterling Heights is about a 20-mile drive north from Detroit.
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 4:13 PM with the headline "‘Utter disbelief.’ Wife returns from walking the dog to husband holding big lotto win."
