An Isabella County man drove around with what he thought was a non-winning Money ticket for four months before realizing it was a $2 million winning ticket.
The 29-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at Shepherd E-Z Mart, located at 550 East Wright Avenue in Shepherd. Shepherd is about 10 miles southeast of Mount Pleasant.
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“Every so often I will stop and buy an instant ticket after work,” the player said. “About four months ago, I bought this Money ticket, but I didn’t see any winnings on it when I scratched it, so I threw it in my center console with some other non-winning tickets.
“About a week ago, my wife gave me a few tickets to take to the store and check, so I grabbed the tickets in my center console to double check. When I scanned the Money ticket, I got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office. I went back out to my truck to look the ticket over and realized I’d matched number 13. When I revealed the ‘$2 MIL’ symbol underneath, I was speechless. It is a miracle this ticket didn’t end up in the trash!”
The lucky player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million, rather than annuity payments for the full amount. He plans to invest his winnings.
“I don’t plan on making any big purchases with the money, but rather use it as a nice financial cushion for our family,” the player said.
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