Man with a lucky ‘feeling’ scores lottery jackpot. Now, he’s saving for his grandkids

A man had a lucky “feeling” about a lottery game — and it scored him a $1 million prize in Michigan.

“I went straight home to tell my wife the good news and have her look the ticket over,” the winner told the Michigan Lottery in a March 17 news release. “We were both so excited.”

Now, the man plans to buy a home and put aside some money for his grandkids, officials said.

The man discovered he was getting richer after a trip to a Shell gas station in Redford, roughly 15 miles northwest of downtown Detroit. While at the business, officials said he spent $20 on a ticket for the Millionaire Maker II scratch-off game.

“I was excited when the Millionaire Maker II game came out and I had a feeling I would win big on it,” the man told the Michigan Lottery. “I scratched the ticket at the store right after purchasing it.”

When the man learned his ticket was worth $1 million, he was left in disbelief and rushed to tell his wife. The winner, who wasn’t identified in the news release, took his prize in a lump sum of $634,000 instead of 30 annual payments equaling the full $1 million, officials said.

After putting his prize money toward his grandchildren and a new home, the 53-year-old Wayne County resident told lottery officials he plans to put the rest of his winnings in savings.

It’s not the first time someone won a big prize after following a gut instinct. Recently, a Michigan woman hit the jackpot after getting a “random urge” to play the lottery, McClatchy News reported March 2.

This story was originally published March 17, 2023 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Man with a lucky ‘feeling’ scores lottery jackpot. Now, he’s saving for his grandkids."

Simone Jasper

The News & Observer

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Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.