A stroke of unexpected fortune came for a Kent County woman who, after her usual lottery game was unavailable, decided to try her luck with a different ticket and ended up winning $1 million from the Michigan Lottery's Wild Cherry instant game, as reported by CBS News Detroit. The anonymous winner, who bought her ticket at a Circle K on Michigan Street in Grand Rapids, initially believed she had won a smaller prize.

"I gave the ticket back to the clerk and had her check it, she helped me scratch the rest of it off, and when she saw I had hit $1 million, she screamed: 'She just won $1 million!'" the winner recounted in an interview with the Michigan Lottery, as detailed by an article from the Detroit Free Press. Choosing to take a one-time lump sum payment of about $693,000, the fortunate player intends to purchase a home and save the remainder of her winnings.

The Wild Cherry game, which debuted in September 2024, has been a lucrative addition to the Michigan Lottery, offering players the chance to win various prizes – the game holds more than $27 million in prizes still to be claimed, including one remaining $1 million jackpot and numerous other cash rewards. "Never knowing when you might find a winning ticket is part of what makes playing instant games fun," Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli stated, capturing the essence of the game's appeal as reported by MI Lottery Connect.