Posted on: May 21, 2026, 05:24h.
Last updated on: May 21, 2026, 05:24h.
A Powerball winner credits Zoltar for his $1 million luck A Zoltar fortune teller machine provided the man with his winning numbers Zoltar was made famous in the Tom Hanks film “Big”A Zoltar fortune teller machine in Las Vegas that prophesied a man’s future three decades ago has finally been proven true.
A Zoltar fortune teller machine is pictured near the Balboa Fun Zone Ferris wheel in Newport Beach, Ca. A $1 million Powerball winner credits a Zoltar machine for predicting his winning numbers. (Image: Shutterstock)Stephen Huesgen, 56, of Fraser, Mich., won a $1 million prize playing Powerball during the drawing on April 22. His $2 play matched the five white balls, with the winning numbers that night 24, 29, 32, 49, and 63. The red Powerball was 11, which Huesgen didn’t match.
Huesgen told officials with the Michigan Lottery that he had been playing those same five numbers for decades. A Zoltar fortune teller told Huesgen that those were his lucky numbers back in the 1990s.
About 30 years ago, I was in Las Vegas and got a fortune from a Zoltar machine. On my fortune, there was a set of lucky numbers, so I have been playing those numbers on lottery games ever since,” Huesgen said.
Huesgen purchased his Powerball play through the Michigan Lottery’s website.
“The morning after the Powerball drawing, I saw an email from the lottery, which is when I found out I’d won a $1 million Powerball prize. I yelled to my wife, ‘Is this real?’ I don’t think this is going to fully hit me until I cash the check,” Huesgen said.
Huesgen said he plans to pay off his mortgage and car loans, take a vacation, and save the rest for retirement.
Big Win From ‘Big’
Zoltar was made famous in the 1988 Tom Hanks classic “Big.” Zoltar was a fictional prop in the movie, likely based on the classic amusement machine Zoltan that was popular in the 1960s.
In “Big,” Hanks’ 12-year-old character, Josh Baskin, makes a wish on a Zoltar machine to become “big” after he wasn’t tall enough to ride a carnival ride with a girl he had a crush on. The next morning, Josh awakens trapped inside a 30-year-old man’s body but with the same personality, life experiences, and behavior as his 12-year-old self.
“Big” was a blockbuster success, handing Hanks his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination and establishing him as a major box office draw. Zoltar imitations also became popular at carnivals and fairs across the country.
In 2006, Olaf Stanton, the founder of an animatronics toy and amusement company called Characters Unlimited, realized that the Zoltar name, brand, and likeness had never been trademarked. His Boulder City, Nev., company acquired the rights to the Zoltar name and has since been manufacturing “Zoltar Speaks” machines.
Post-Tax Winnings
Huesgen, of course, didn’t receive a full million dollars. His Powerball prize was subject to federal taxes of 37%. Unlike some states, Michigan considers lottery wins as personal income, and therefore, the $1 million prize was hit with a 4.25% state tax.
Huesgen paid the federal government $370,000 and the state of Michigan $42,500. That brought his net payout to $587,500.
Huesgen would have won $2 million pre-tax had he purchased the optional $1 add-on Power Play.
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