Michigan Lottery Winner Enjoys Huge Blessing, Bags $170K Jackpot

After a 67-year-old man from Oak Park, Michigan, remembered to purchase his ticket for the popular Fantasy 5 draw, he was pleasantly surprised to win the game’s jackpot. The Michigan Lottery announced Thursday that the winner of the Fantasy 5 draw from June 3 recently came forward to claim his prize.

The name of the lucky winner is Russell Morgenstern and he has been playing the lottery for years. The Lottery confirmed that the winner purchased his ticket online via its official website.

Overall, the 67-year-old man won $170,129 after matching the winning numbers 12, 20, 26, 31 and 34 from the drawing on June 3. Morgenstern recently claimed his big prize after visiting the Lottery headquarters.

When asked by lottery officials what he plans to do with the hefty $170,000 win, the 67-year-old man said that he wants to retire. Moreover, the lucky winner confirmed that he will complete renovations to his lake house.

The Jackpot Win, a Huge Blessing

Fantasy 5 is among the popular games offered by the Michigan Lottery. The cost per play is only $1 and lottery players have a chance of securing prizes between $1 and a jackpot that starts at $100,000.

Currently, Fantasy 5 draws take place every day at 7:29 PM. Players who buy tickets online and through retailers for the same-day draw must purchase them by 7:08 PM.

Paying an extra $1 adds the EZmatch option for lottery players. This grants them a chance to win a prize of up to $500 instantly. An extra $1 per play grants the players access to the game’s Double Play option which awards a second chance for a win of up to $110,000 within the game’s nightly Double Play drawing.

Growing since June, the jackpot of the game currently stands at $620,000.

“When I saw there was one jackpot winner for $170,129 and the ticket was purchased online, I knew I really was the winner! Winning this prize is a windfall and a huge blessing.“

Russell Morgenstern, winner of the Fantasy 5 jackpot

The jackpot winner said that he plays Fantasy 5 every day and has been doing so for the past five or six years. Asked about the day he won the game’s grand prize, Morgenstern said that he remembered around 6 PM that he hadn’t purchased tickets for the game.

He then proceeded to log into his lottery account and buy the tickets. Instead of selecting a certain combination of numbers, he used easy pick numbers.

Later on the same night, the lucky player received an e-mail from the Michigan Lottery about the win. Morgenstern checked the details from the drawing and once he saw that there was a single jackpot, he knew he was the winner. Finally, the man acknowledged the jackpot was a blessing.