Lucky Player in Michigan Asks Friend to Buy a Ticket, Wins $2M

An incredibly fortunate player from Oakland County, Michigan, asked a friend to purchase him a lottery ticket. To his surprise, the ticket his friend bought at Orchard Market Place in Farmington Hills brought him an amazing $2 million prize.

The Michigan Lottery uncovered details regarding the latest win on Tuesday. The lucky 54-year-old player decided to remain anonymous. He won the first grand prize from the Lottery’s Jackson scratch-off game.

Recently, the lucky winner visited the Lottery to claim his prize. He faced two options: collecting the full $2 million through annuity payments or taking home a lump cash sum instantly. The lottery player picked the latter option, taking an estimated $1.3 million.

When asked what he plans to do with the win, the lucky Oakland County man said that he wants to put some in investments while saving the rest for his children’s college funds. The 54-year-old man said that his family doesn’t yet know about the million-dollar prize. He admitted to only telling his friend about the win and confirmed he plans to surprise his family.

Suzanna Shkreli, the Lottery’s commissioner, said that multi-million-dollar prizes always create unforgettable experiences. She said that the Jackson instant game is part of a range of games launched by the Lottery this May. Finally, Shkreli said: “Each of the games has been very popular with players and is helping Lottery forge towards a sixth consecutive School Aid Fund contribution of $1 billion.”

“When players score jaw-dropping wins like this $2 million prize it’s an unforgettable experience.“

Suzanna Shkreli, commissioner with the Michigan Lottery

The Lucky Winner’s Jaw “Hit the Floor and Stayed There”

The 54-year-old player said that whenever one of his friends buys lottery tickets, he gives him money to buy tickets for himself too. “He picked out this Jackson ticket for me and I scratched it as soon as I got it,” said the lucky winner.

Once he realized that he had just won $2 million, the fortunate player said that his “jaw hit the floor and stayed there!” By the time he claimed the grand prize from the popular instant game, the player said that he was still in shock. “I can’t begin to explain the feeling of winning this amount of money,” he admitted.

Considering the recent $2 million win, there are two more such prizes remaining from the Jackson instant game. The game’s cost per play is $20 and it offers overall odds of 1 in 3.49.

Players who purchase a Jackson ticket can win prizes between $20 and $2 million. So far, all 16 prizes of $20,000 each remain in play.