$1 lottery ticket scores Michigan dad a ‘life-changing’ multi-million dollar prize

It can be easy to dream big when playing the lottery, but the chance of winning multi-million dollar prizes is quite slim.

But for a Michigan Lottery player who has regularly purchased tickets for years, his dream became a reality in one of the biggest ways imaginable.

All it took was a $1 lottery ticket purchase for the 60-year-old man from Kent County to become a multi-millionaire.

He purchased the Lotto 47 ticket at a liquor store in Kentwood then checked his ticket the next morning, the 60-year-old man told lottery officials.

“(I) couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw I matched all the numbers,” he said. “I called for my wife and had her look the ticket over to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.”

By matching all six numbers — 07-16-18-27-39-40 — he won the game’s jackpot prize of $8.75 million.

But his and his wife’s eyes weren’t enough to verify the win.

“Once my wife confirmed I’d won, she called for my son to have him triple check the ticket too,” he said. “We were all stunned!”

The man chose the one-time lump sum payment of $6 million, and he plans to use the money for home improvements and investing.

“Winning is life changing, surreal and amazing,” the winner told lottery officials.

Odds of winning the Lotto 47 jackpot prize are 1-in-10,737,573. The jackpot starts at $1 million and grows until there is a winner.

The estimated jackpot for the Sept. 30 drawing is $1.9 million.

Kentwood is about 10 miles south of Grand Rapids.

This story was originally published September 28, 2023 at 3:27 PM with the headline "$1 lottery ticket scores Michigan dad a ‘life-changing’ multi-million dollar prize."