A Mecosta County man has a friend to thank after he won a $198,857 Fantasy 5 jackpot from the Michigan Lottery. 

James Snyder, of Barryton, matched the Fantasy 5 numbers in the July 12 drawing to win the big prize: 12-17-25-31-33. He bought his winning ticket at the East Bay General Store, located at 19961 Chippewa Drive in Chippewa Lake. Barryton is about 30 miles northwest of Mt. Pleasant. 

“I like playing Fantasy 5 because it’s a Michigan-only game,” said Snyder. “About seven years ago, my friend gave me this set of numbers and I have played them each day since.

“The day after the drawing, I took a break from working in my basement to check the numbers. When I saw them on my phone, I knew right away they were the numbers I play. I ran upstairs and had my wife confirm I was the big winner. As soon as she saw the prize amount, she grabbed the ticket and took it to the safe!”

Snyder, 62, visited Lottery headquarters to claim his big prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay some bills and then invest the remainder.