‘Yeah right,’ skeptical lottery player says after winning millions on April Fools’ Day
It wasn’t an April Fools’ Day joke for a lottery player in Michigan, but rather a payday that rewarded him millions.
The 60-year-old lottery player from Oakland County won the $4.38 million Lotto 47 jackpot in the April 1 drawing, officials said. He purchased the ticket at a convenience store about 15 miles northwest of Detroit.
He shared his disbelief with lottery officials when he recently claimed his prize.
“I scanned my ticket at the store after the drawing and got a message to file a claim at the lottery office,” the player said in an April 19 news release. “When the worker told me I must have won big, I said: ‘Yeah right!’”
Even when he checked the winning numbers in his car, he still “couldn’t believe it,” he said.
He had matched the numbers 04-08-17-19-24-45 to win the jackpot prize.
“I called my family to tell them the good news, and they thought I was playing an April Fools’ joke on them,” he told lottery officials.”
The lottery winner chose to receive his winnings as a one-time payment of $3.04 million. He said he plans on saving most of the money.
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This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 8:08 AM with the headline "‘Yeah right,’ skeptical lottery player says after winning millions on April Fools’ Day."