LANSING, MI -- A Lansing man says he just had a lucky feeling and decided to buy an instant lottery ticket when he stopped at the Admiral gas station, located at 2626 North Grand River Avenue in Lansing. That feeling was right as the man won $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Golden Ticket II.
"I stopped at the gas station to buy a pop and decided to buy a lottery ticket after winning $100 on one the week before," said the 28-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous. "I was feeling lucky and thought I could win on another.
“I was scratching the ticket and saw the number '3′ matched. When I saw the ‘$1MIL’ symbol underneath it, I couldn’t believe it. I still feel overwhelmed!”
The lucky winner visited Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing recently to claim his prize. He elected to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000.With his winnings, he plans to travel and save the remainder.
The winner is the third person in recent weeks to win a $1 million prize. On Friday, a lucky player in Michigan won $1 million playing the Mega Millions. Friday night’s winner marks the second time in as many weeks that a player from Michigan has won $1 million in the Mega Millions lottery.
On Mar. 22, Randy Richardson of Millington won $1 million after he bought a ticket while driving to find the cheapest gas in his area.
Those two winners aren’t the biggest recent winners however. In March, a Wayne County woman claimed a $4 million winning instant lottery ticket. The 28-year-old said she’d actually dreamed of winning a $4 million lottery prize just a few months before her big win.
The last players from Michigan to win a Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot were Kevin and Stephanie Blake of Waterford who $21 million after splitting a $42 million jackpot on Oct. 13, 2017. Kevin picked the winning numbers by using a combination of family birthdays. After winning, the couple said they would not retire and would continue working.
And while they were lucky winners, it’s smart for players to check their tickets immediately as a winner worth $1 million sold in Ypsilanti last year went unclaimed this month as well. The ticket was purchased at the CVS in Ypsilanti, but the winner never came forward to claim the prize. The money instead went to the state’s School Aid Fund.
Speaking of coming forward, the winner of the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot from last year finally came forward this month as well. The winner’s identity was not revealed however as the player is from South Carolina, a state that allow winners to conceal their identity when claiming jackpot prizes.
If you’d like to be the next player from Michigan to win a huge lottery prize, take a look at these tips from lottery expert Richard Lustig. The author of “Learn How To Increase Your Chances Of Winning The Lottery” has won more than $1 million in Florida by winning top jackpot prizes in smaller games.