TUSCOLA COUNTY, Mich. – A Michigan man wanted to buy a specific lottery ticket, but the store he went to was sold out. So he decided to try playing the Detroit Tigers instant game instead and ended up winning $500,000.
The 57-year-old Tuscola County man, who decided to stay anonymous, purchased his scratch-off ticket at the Speedway gas station at 1001 West Caro Road in Caro, which is about 30 miles east of Saginaw.
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“I stopped at the gas station to buy a Triple Red 777s ticket, but they were sold out, so I told the cashier to give me a Detroit Tigers ticket instead,” the player told Michigan Lottery officials. “It was hard to believe when I saw I’d won $500,000, but after looking the ticket over several times, I told myself it must be real.”
After scratching the ticket, he went back into the gas station store.
“I signed the ticket and took it back into the store to have the cashier check it,” said the player. “After she scanned it, she handed it back and said: ‘Looks like you have to go to Lansing for this one!’ Winning $500,000 is an answered prayer and still hasn’t fully sunk in.”
The man recently claimed his prize and said that with his winnings, he plans to help his family and invest.
The Detroit Tigers instant game launched in April, and since then, players have won more than $11 million, according to the Michigan Lottery.
Each $5 ticket gives people the chance to win prizes from $5 to $500,000.