A habitual purchase of a coffee and scratch-off lottery ticket has culminated in a $300,000 windfall for an anonymous Wayne County man. ClickOnDetroit reports that the 56-year-old man's routine stop at a Speedway gas station, located at 37416 7 Mile Road in Livonia, led him to purchase the winning Michigan Lottery’s Make It Rein instant game ticket.
"I scratched the ticket when I got back to my car, and thought I’d won $30,000. I spent the next half hour looking the ticket over, until I finally went into the store to double check it," the winner recounted. "After the clerk scanned it, he handed it back and told me I didn’t scratch off all the zeros. That’s when I realized I’d actually won $300,000. I couldn’t believe it!" the man told MLive.
According to the winner, as reported by CBS News Detroit, his newfound fortune will go toward the purchase of a new vehicle, and his children's college funds, and the rest will be invested wisely. The Michigan Lottery noted that players have secured over $4 million from the Make It Rein game since its introduction in October. There are still prizes totaling more than $16 million to be claimed, including one more $300,000 top prize.
In a cautionary reminder, an interesting fact from MLive mentions that while big lottery wins can be life-changing, they can also be easily missed. A Mega Millions winner from 2023 never claimed their $1 million prize in Southfield, ultimately adding the unclaimed sum to the state's School Aid Fund. The Michigan Lottery encourages players to check their tickets promptly to avoid missing out on any potential winnings.
