National

Lottery player had to check winning Michigan ticket daily. ‘Not just seeing things’

A Michigan woman said she needed to check her winning Michigan ticket daily to make sure she was “not just seeing things,” officials said.
A Michigan woman said she needed to check her winning Michigan ticket daily to make sure she was “not just seeing things,” officials said. Photo by Michigan Lottery

All a 76-year-old lottery player could think when she scratched off the winning ticket was “this can’t be real,” she recounted to officials.

The Michigan woman bought two tickets on her way out of Kroger and scratched them in her car.

Then, she laid eyes on the $1 million prize.

“I took the ticket back into the store and scanned it. When I got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office, I knew it was real!” she told Michigan Lottery Connect officials.

Since then, she’s checked her ticket daily to make sure she’s “not just seeing things,” she told officials.

The St. Clair County woman claimed her prize as a lump sum of $693,000. She plans to use the winnings to pay her bills and save.

“This prize is going to provide a nice financial cushion for me and my husband,” she told officials.

St. Clair County is about a 60-mile drive northeast of Detroit.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Read Next
Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published June 21, 2024 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Lottery player had to check winning Michigan ticket daily. ‘Not just seeing things’."

Kate Linderman
mcclatchy-newsroom
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy’s real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.
Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99
#ReadLocal

Only 44¢ per day

SUBSCRIBE NOW