ANTRIM COUNTY, Mich. – An 85-year-old Michigan woman has purchased scratch-off lottery tickets once a week for years. Recently, she scratched a ticket and immediately unveiled a $1 million prize, lottery officials said.
The Antrim County woman, who decided to stay anonymous, won her big prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Golden Key instant game.
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“It’s been part of my routine for years to buy scratch-off tickets once a week,” the lucky 85-year-old player told Michigan lottery officials. “The $1 million win was the first thing I scratched off on the ticket. I’m a pretty even-keeled person, so I didn’t have a crazy reaction and stayed calm for the most part. My daughter was with me at the time, so it was fun to be able to share that moment with her.”
She bought her winning ticket at the Family Fare at 240 South Lake Street in East Jordan, which is located about 15 miles southeast of Charlevoix.
Lottery officials said the 85-year-old decided to claim her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $693,000.
She plans to buy a new mattress, donate to charity, and then save the rest of her winnings.
“Honestly, the only big plans I have for now is to buy a new mattress,” said the player, laughing. “I’ve been putting it off, so my first thought after winning was: ‘It looks like I’m finally getting that new mattress!’”
Each $10 Golden Key gives players the chance to win prizes from $10 up to $1 million.
More than $30 million in prizes remain, according to lottery officials