Football fan upset over team’s loss — then lottery win takes ‘some of the sting away’
A Michigan man had more good fortune than his favorite NFL team when he won the top prize in the Michigan Lottery’s VIP Cashword game.
The man, who remained anonymous according to the Michigan Lottery, bought the ticket on Jan. 18, the day the top-seeded Detroit Lions lost in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs to the Washington Commanders.
“Of course, everyone knows how the Lions game went, but scanning the ticket and seeing I won $500,000 took some of the sting away!” he told lottery officials in a Feb. 20 news release.
The player bought the $10 crossword puzzle-themed ticket at a Marathon gas stationin Warren. The Michigan Lottery said two more $500,000 top prizes and 36 $1,000 prizes are still up for grabs.
“It still doesn’t feel real that I won, but I am very excited to be able to help family and then tuck some money away for myself,” the winner said.
Warren is about a 20-mile drive north from Detroit.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Football fan upset over team’s loss — then lottery win takes ‘some of the sting away’."
