Winner dreams of ziplining across Niagara Falls

Drawing Date: 7/8/2016

August 19, 2016 - The Louisiana Lottery’s newest millionaire Michael D. Desselle of Bay St. Louis, Miss., has big and small dreams to fulfill with his winnings after matching five white-ball numbers in the July 8 Mega Millions drawing.

“I’m going to buy a nice recliner. I’m also thinking about ziplining across Niagara Falls,” said the 64-year-old who hails from Metairie and claimed his $1 million prize last week at Lottery headquarters in Baton Rouge after keeping it secret for a month.

Indian Village Trading Post in Slidell, La., the retailer where Desselle purchased his winning ticket, will receive a bonus of $10,000, which is 1 percent of the prize. The winning numbers for the July 8 drawing were 08-19-20-55-73 and the Mega Ball was 05. Desselle’s ticket was a quick pick, meaning he allowed the Lottery’s terminal system to randomly generate his numbers.

Desselle said he also plans to help family members with his winnings, which amounted to $700,000 after federal and state tax withholdings.