Woman used lottery winnings to win even bigger prize in Michigan. ‘This can’t be real’
.jpg "Patricia Royer, 65, receives her lottery winnings from the Michigan Lottery.")
A Michigan woman said she was in disbelief when she saw her lottery win.
Patricia Royer, 65, thought someone hacked into her lottery account when she logged in and saw what was in her account, a March 25 news release from the Michigan Lottery said.
“My husband and I started playing Lucky for Life about a year ago, and we have loved playing it ever since,” Royer told lottery officials. “I won $200 a few months ago, so I have been using that to buy more tickets.”
Royer matched all five numbers for the March 12 drawing and her prize was $25,000 a year for life.
“The morning after the drawing, I was having a cup of coffee and logged in to see if I won anything. When I saw I won $25,000 a year for life I said: ‘This can’t be real,’” she said.
She said initially, she thought it was some type of mistake.
“I thought someone hacked my account, so I logged out and logged back in. When the prize was still in my balance, I called my son, and he told me it had to be real. I still can’t fathom winning! It is unbelievable.”
When Royer went to claim her prize, she decided to receive it in one lump sum of $390,000, according to lottery officials.
She said she wants to use some of her winnings to start a scholarship on behalf of a loved one who recently died and save the rest.
This story was originally published March 25, 2024 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Woman used lottery winnings to win even bigger prize in Michigan. ‘This can’t be real’."
