Couple wins ‘life-changing’ prize with Michigan Lottery ticket bought on Christmas Eve

The day before Christmas, a husband and wife went out to buy some Michigan Lottery tickets.

At least one of those tickets was a $20 Jackpot Millions scratch ticket with a top prize worth $2 million.

“When we got in the car after buying our tickets, I looked at the Jackpot Millions ticket and said to her: ‘Winning $2 million would be life-changing,’’’ the 53-year-old Detroit man recalled to lottery officials.

Little did the man know his life was about to change, according to a Jan. 26 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

“We started scratching our tickets when we got home, and when I saw I’d won the $2 million top prize, I was in shock,” he said in the release. “Winning this prize truly is life-changing.”

He recently went to claim his prize, officials said, and he was given two options: a one-time payment of about $1.3 million, or 30 annual payments worth the full amount.

The husband chose the lump-sum payment, according to the release. He plans to pay bills with the prize money.

The winning ticket was sold at a Fast Track Gas Station in Warren, part of the Detroit metropolitan area.

This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Couple wins ‘life-changing’ prize with Michigan Lottery ticket bought on Christmas Eve."