An Upper Peninsula woman's routine check of her Michigan Lottery account while sipping on her morning coffee led to a shock some might say is better than the caffeine kick itself. Patricia Royer of Escanaba, who thought her account had been hacked, discovered she had won $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky For Life game, as per reports by WWJ. The lucky winner matched the five white balls: 03-13-24-36-44 in the March 12 drawing, buying her ticket through the Michigan Lottery's website.
Having started playing the game only a year prior with her husband, Royer previously won $200, which she reinvested in the lottery. During the routine morning after the drawing, she logged in, expecting little, if anything. "The morning after the drawing, I was having a cup of coffee and logged in to see if I won anything. When I saw I won $25,000 a year for life I said: ‘This can’t be real!’" Royer told 9and10news. It wasn't until the quantity remained in her balance after a logout-log-in routine and a confirmation from her son that it clicked for the 65-year-old: the win was legitimate.
Royer opted for a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000 when she visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters recently, instead of the annuity option. Regarding her plans for the unexpected windfall, Royer expressed her intent to honor a loved one by starting a scholarship, saving the rest to presumably secure her financial future, according to UPI.
Lucky For Life, the game blessing Royer with her fortuity, offers players, for $2 a pop, a shot at prizes ranging from $3 to a continual stream of cash. To hit the jackpot and reel in $1,000 a day for life, they have to match all winning numbers plus a Lucky Ball. Royer's impressive match, while falling short of the Lucky Ball, will still afford her a breath of relief and the space to make a generous gesture towards the memory of someone dearly missed.
