Man Thought Lottery Ticket Was a Loser Until Being Told to Visit Headquarters

A Michigan man took a chance playing a new lottery game — and it really paid off.

The 66-year-old man from St. Joseph County, who chose to remain anonymous, told lottery officials that he usually only goes for $5 or $10 tickets, but felt like trying the new $2,000,000 Lucky instant game, per a press release.

However, as soon as he revealed the first “$2MIL” symbol on his ticket, he assumed it was a dud.

“I thought: ‘Well this ticket is a loser,’ ” he said. “I never thought I’d actually win the $2 million top prize.”

Then he scratched off a second matching symbol.

“I went back into the store and had the worker scan it. He handed me a slip that said to file a claim at the Lottery office,” the man continued, “and that’s when I knew I just won $2 million!”

When the man visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim his prize, he decided to receive the one-time lump sum prize of $1.3 million, rather than annuity payments for the full $2 million.

“Although I’m still trying to wrap my head around winning $2 million, it’s nice to know my wife and I will now be able to retire earlier that we planned,” the man said.

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The $2,000,000 Lucky game launched in May, and since then players have won more than $27 million in prizes — and more than $77 million in prizes are left, including two more top prizes. Each ticket can yield prizes ranging from $20 to $2 million.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.