A man from Newaygo County, Michigan had a startling reaction when he realized he won $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s “$1,000,000 Extravaganza” instant game.
Initial Shock and Disbelief
As reported by multiple news outlets, the lucky winner initially thought he was having health issues when he scratched the winning ticket. According to Michigan Lottery, the 54-year-old winner, who chose to remain anonymous, purchased the winning $30 ticket from the Speedway gas station located at 560 West Main Street in Fremont.
“I scratched the ticket off in the store and couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said the player. “I really thought I was having some kind of medical emergency! My blood pressure went through the roof and my heart was beating so fast. I had my son read the ticket over just to make sure what I was seeing was real.”
His son confirmed that the ticket, indeed, contained a $1 million prize. Understandably shaken, the winner took the weekend to calm himself before coming forward to claim his prize.
Claiming the Windfall
The Michigan man visited lottery headquarters recently to claim his big win. He opted to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000 rather than the annuity.
The winner already has plans on how he’ll spend that money, telling lottery officials:
“Winning is life changing. I plan to share this money with family and invest the remainder.”
About the Game
The “$1,000,000 Extravaganza” instant game launched just over a month ago in November 2022. Tickets sell for $30 each with prizes ranging from $30 up to $1 million. As the name suggests, there is a total of $1 million available in top prizes.
According to the Michigan Lottery:
“Players win by matching any of the winning numbers, symbols, or prize amounts in the play area of the ticket. The game offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $30 up to $1 million by revealing winning numbers or symbols in the play area of the ticket.”
Odds of Winning
Of course, the odds of winning that $1 million jackpot are quite slim. The overall odds listed on the “$1,000,000 Extravaganza” instant ticket are:
- $100 Prize – 1 in 7.50 tickets
- $1,000 Prize – 1 in 60 tickets
- $1 million Prize – 1 in 120,000 tickets
So this Newaygo County man clearly beat some long odds to take home the game’s top prize.
Future Plans
While we don’t know the identity of the winner, we do know that he is planning to share his big prize with family members. It’s likely that amount of money will go a long way for himself and his loved ones.
He also mentioned plans to invest the remainder, which is generally wise advice for lottery winners. Financial experts typically recommend paying off any existing debts, putting aside money for retirement, establishing college funds for children or grandchildren, investing, and also donating to charitable causes.
Reaction
For this Michigan man, winning $1 million playing the state lottery’s instant game was almost too much to handle at first. He will now join the list of lottery winners who have claimed seven-figure prizes playing the Michigan Lottery this year.
Based on his reaction, it’s clear he never imagined himself the winner of such an astronomical jackpot. The shock led him to fear he was having heart issues before his son double-checked the ticket.
Now that the initial alarm has subsided, the Newaygo County resident can enjoy his life-changing prize. Like all lottery winners collecting those giant checks, his first move was claiming the prize at lottery headquarters. After divvying up the cash with his family and earmarking investments, this lucky man will certainly have a more prosperous future.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
