Couple thought they won $500 prize in Michigan lottery — but it was worth much more
A Michigan couple thought they had won $500, but their prize was much, much bigger.
The 58-year-old winner from Kalamazoo County had his wife scratch off the ticket. She thought they had won a few hundred dollars, but the prize totaled $300,000.
“We took the ticket to the store to double check it and thought the machine was broken when a message came up to file a claim at the Lottery office,” the couple told officials.
Thinking the machine was broken, the couple took the ticket to the counter to confirm their winnings.
Once the clerk confirmed, the couple immediately jumped in the car and drove to lottery headquarters in Lansing.
“It’s always been a dream of ours to be at the Lottery headquarters claiming a big prize, and today that dream became a reality!” the winner told officials.
They to use the winnings to purchase a home and “pay it forward,” they told officials.
Kalamazoo County is about a 75-mile drive southwest from Lansing.
This story was originally published April 5, 2024 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Couple thought they won $500 prize in Michigan lottery — but it was worth much more."
