74-year-old thought he won $500 lottery prize in Michigan — then he put on his glasses

A 74-year-old lottery player thought he won $500 in Michigan, but just to be sure, he put on his glasses.

That’s when he realized he had misread his $5 Lucky No. 13 instant game ticket, according to a May 5 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

He had actually won much more.

“When I realized I had actually won $500,000, I couldn’t believe it,” the Hillsdale County man told lottery officials when claiming his prize.

Unsure if he could believe his eyes, the husband said he had his wife check over the ticket as well.

“And when she confirmed I’d won $500,000, we called our family to tell them the good news,” he said.

The man, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at Sand Lake Party Store in Hillsdale, according to the release.

“I was cashing in a $40 winning ticket and used my winnings to buy more tickets,” the man said. “I scratched the tickets as soon as I got in my car and the Lucky No. 13 ticket was the last one that I scratched.”

He plans to use his winnings to pay bills and improve his home.

Hillsdale is about 100 miles southwest of Detroit.

This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 7:58 AM with the headline "74-year-old thought he won $500 lottery prize in Michigan — then he put on his glasses."