Lottery player scans ticket 5 times before realizing ‘life-changing’ win is real

Every Friday, a Michigan man tries his luck at the lottery.

He never has high hopes when he plays, hoping to just break even or win a few extra bucks.

So you can imagine his surprise when he scratched off a ticket that featured a 7-figure prize.

That’s what the Genesee County man saw when he scratched off the $46,000,000 Payout ticket as part of his Friday ritual, Michigan Lottery officials said in an April 23 news release.

He purchased the ticket at Admiral Petroleum in Schwartz Creek, where he stopped for a cup of coffee and his weekly scratch-offs.

“I scratched the ticket when I got in my car and had to scan it at least five times to make sure I was reading it right after I saw I had won $1 million!” he said.

Don’t let the name of the game fool you — the $1 million prize is the top offering in $46,000,000 Payout, which costs $10 to play.

He chose to receive the one-time payment of $694,000, lottery officials said. With his winnings, he plans to “buy a new car, start a nonprofit and further his education.”

“This prize is life-changing and is going to give me opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise had,” he said.

Genesee County is about a 75-mile drive northwest from Detroit.

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Lottery player scans ticket 5 times before realizing ‘life-changing’ win is real."