LANSING, February 25, 1999 – The 25 members of a Sylvania, Ohio lottery club are celebrating in a big way — they are the latest winners of a top Michigan Lottery prize!

The Club 25 lottery club matched the first five numbers drawn in the February 12 Big Game drawing, collecting the game's $150,000 prize.  That day's winning numbers were: 8, 11, 16, 27, 34 and the Big Money Ball number was 8.

Club members, who "party together at the Sylvania Moose Lodge #1579," include:

• Lois Akiki of Sylvania, OH
• Ken Akiki of Toledo, OH
• LaVerne Akiki of Sylvania, OH
• Jack Atkinson of Sylvania, OH
• Ronald Chandler of Ottawa Lake, MI
• Dan Farrell of Sylvania, OH
• Ed Grosswiler of Sylvania, OH
• Carol Harlow of Toledo, OH
• Gina James of Toledo, OH
• Sheila Johnson of Toledo, OH
• Carla King of Toledo, OH
• Pamela Mossing of Ottawa Lake, MI
• Richard Mossing of Ottawa Lake, MI
• Betty Nicholas of Sylvania, OH
• Fred Smith of Sylvania, OH
• Lois Smith of Sylvania, OH
• Bonnie Storey of Sylvania, OH
• Diana Sullivan of Sylvania, OH
• Gerald Vrooman of Toledo, OH 
• Leon Webb of Sylvania, OH
• Leta Webb of Sylvania, OH
• Edward Weirich of Sylvania, OH
• Merle Wilhelm of Perrysburg, OH
• James Witker of Toledo, OH
• Wilma Zweifel of Sylvania, OH

The club members range in age from 35 to 70 years of age and are a mixture of married and single individuals.

"I saw the winning numbers in the newspaper," club member Dick Mossing said.  "As soon as I saw that we had matched five I screamed and hugged my dog!"

The winning Big Game "easy pick" ticket was purchased at Doug's Party Store, 6721 Whiteford Center Road, in Lambertville.

Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, the group first hid it in a dresser drawer.  They later decided it needed to be somewhere safer so they locked it up in a safe deposit box.

The club members, who have been playing Michigan Lottery games as a group for two years, plan to use their winnings for many different uses, including: paying bills, making home repairs and 18 of the club members are taking a trip to Las Vegas.

The Big Game is a six-state lottery game which held its first drawing in September 1996.  Lotteries in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia contribute to the joint prize pool.  Big Game drawings are conducted every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. 

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