19-year-old was given lottery ticket for Christmas, then they ‘started screaming’

An early Christmas present left the 19-year-old recipient — and the gift giver — in a state of shock.

It was a gift that could have left the Michigan woman empty handed. Instead, the Lucky 7s Fast Cash lottery ticket she received was a jackpot winner.

“I was out with a friend, and he purchased a Lucky 7’s Fast Cash ticket while we were at the gas station,” the player told Michigan Lottery officials. “He handed the ticket to me and said he bought it for me because he wanted to get me a little something as an early Christmas gift.”

The ticket, which was purchased in Detroit, paid out $613,848, officials said in a Jan. 18 news release.

The winner said she and her friend “started screaming and jumping up and down” when they saw she won the jackpot.

“We looked the ticket over several times because we couldn’t believe it was real,” she said. “I called my family right away to tell them the good news.”

The Detroit woman, who chose to remain anonymous, recently claimed her prize and told lottery officials she plans on saving her winnings.

This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 12:28 PM with the headline "19-year-old was given lottery ticket for Christmas, then they ‘started screaming’."