OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – A Michigan woman accidentally picked the wrong number when she was buying her lottery ticket, but that mistake led her to a $251,738 jackpot win.
The 57-year-old Oakland County resident, who decided to stay anonymous, matched the Fantasy 5 numbers (08-10-11-22-39) in the drawing on March 13 to win the prize, according to lottery officials.
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“I was buying a Fantasy 5 ticket online, and when selecting my numbers, I mistakenly clicked 39 instead of 47, but I decided to keep it because my mother always told me: ‘There are no accidents!’” the player told lottery officials. “Later that night, I saw an email from the Lottery, but it wasn’t the usual email I get when I win a few dollars.”
The woman said she was in “shock and denial” when she realized how much she had won.
“After I logged in to my account and saw how much I’d won, I paced my house for several hours trying to wrap my head around it,” the woman said. “I like playing the Lottery for fun and entertainment, but I never expected to win big, so my immediate reaction was shock and denial.”
She told lottery officials that she plans to save her winnings.
“I don’t have anything big planned with my winnings as of now,” the player said. “I’ve been blessed with a good life, so I’m going to put the money in a savings account and just keep on living.”
Each Fantasy 5 play is $1. An EZmatch can be added to the ticket for an extra $1, giving people the chance to win up to $500 instantly.
A Double Play can also be added for an extra $1. This gives players a second chance to win up to $110,000 in a separate nightly Double Play drawing, according to lottery officials.
The add-on works alongside the standard game. Players can win in the regular nightly Fantasy 5 drawing, the Double Play drawing, or both.
Fantasy 5 drawings are held every night at 7:29 p.m.