76-year-old lottery winner in Michigan scores million-dollar jackpot

The $1 million lottery-winning ticket

A St. Clair County woman is in disbelief after receiving a winning ticket for the Michigan Lottery’s $1,000,000 Deluxe Cash Instant Game.

"I scratched the tickets when I got in my car, and when I saw I’d won $1 million, I thought to myself: ‘This can’t be real!’," said the 76-year-old winner.

The player says she often purchases $20 worth of Lottery tickets on her way out of Kroger. She didn't think much when she bought two lottery tickets from her local store located at 66900 Gratiot Avenue in Richmond. 

When she saw the lucky numbers, she just couldn't believe her eyes.

"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! I have looked at the ticket every day since I won to make sure I’m not just seeing things," she said.

The woman decided to remain anonymous, but has already made the trip to the lottery headquarters to cash out her winnings. 

She opted to receive a one-time payment of $693,000 rather than a series of payments for the full amount. The winner wants to use the money to pay off some bills before setting the remainder away in savings.

"This prize is going to provide a nice financial cushion for me and my husband," the winner said.

Related

Dad's tip helps son win $7.19M Michigan Lottery prize

A Wayne County man who won $7.19 million from the Michigan Lottery said a tip from his dad helped him secure the big Lotto 47 prize.