Long-term lottery loyalty and a multi-million prize
By Kate Northrop
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — Playing the lottery for 40 years has finally paid off for one Michigan man, whose $6 million win was dizzying enough to nearly make him faint.
A Michigan man's big windfall in the lottery finally came around after 40 years of playing in the form of a $6 million top prize in a scratch-off game.
The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, had decided to purchase a $50 "$6,000,000 Wealth" instant ticket at Najors Liquor & Deli on Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights. It's one of the most expensive lottery tickets a player can buy in Michigan.
Lucky for this winner, that purchase was well-worth the price.
"I play scratch-off tickets all the time and have been playing for more than 40 years," the 60-year-old player told the Michigan Lottery. "When I scratched the ticket and saw I won $6 million, I thought I was going to faint! I had to scan it on the Lottery app to double check it because I didn't believe what I was seeing. It still feels surreal."
He instantly became the $50 game's very first top prize winner of $6 million, leaving two more top prizes remaining.
"The $50 instant games have been a favorite among players since the Lottery launched its first $50 ticket in July 2022," Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli said in a press release. "Congratulations to the lucky winner who claimed the first $6 million top prize on our newest $50 game — '$6,000,000 Wealth!'"
Having recently claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters in Lansing, the Macomb County resident chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $4.1 million, the Lottery said.
With the prize, he plans on taking a vacation and saving the rest.
That leaves two more top prizes of $6 million in the $50 "$6,000,000 Wealth" game, of which there were three originally available. There are also 71 out of 78 second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 4,330 out of 4,810 third-tier prizes of $2,000 remaining.
The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.18.
(Click to display full-size in gallery)
I've been playing longer than he has and still no claimer.
The $30 tickets have been out for about 11 years here and there still hasn't been a big winner on them in this county!
I gave up on scratchers when I realized they are preprinted and there is no way you can win the big prize unless it's sent to the store you are in.
$50 ticket and just 6 million dollars. His persistence paid off . Better late than never
You didn't know they were printed in advance? How else would they work?
I like that picture posted of the winning ticket. Awesome win!
I also like the fact that the ticket says "79% payout" on it.
That's not what I said! You didn't read that right.
I still wonder why Michigan Lottery redacts the ticket numbers on all jackpot tickets
He knew that they were pre printed. The problem with them though is that you have to walk into the right store, at the right time and select a ticket from over 70 choices on that wall behind the counter. I find that a formidable task. I can wait for a night drawing. I can buy those tickets anywhere, at any time and know which game I am going to play out of a choice of maybe 3 or 4.
The math don't math on scratchers in my state. Odds will say for example 1 and 3.68 or some bs like that. I buy 10 and only scratch 1 winner. If that. But I'm sure it's because I'm stupid. And the odds mean something completely different. 😜
They seem to put a lot of effort into their scratch ticket sideline in every state. It is for the instant gratification crowd and there are many who if they spend 10.00 or more on a ticket cannot wait to scratch it. The prizes seem to be less than they should be and they keep coming out with more colorful, trendy and higher amount tickets with all those win 10xBillion Scratch It and Retire printed on it. They see the word billion and that is all it takes.
Your 100% correct. And I noticed some scratch games will have a top prize left. And the game ends. And the ticket mysteriously does not get sold. And don't even get me started on thouse. Instant games. There the biggest rackets. The more I read and look into the lottery. The more discouraged I get. At the end of the day. There government run games. What could possibly go wrong there. 😂
Well, well, well.
Now there is me here, played for 40 days and complaining that I am yet to win something 🤣🤣.
If patience was a person 🙏
Okay, I see what you mean. Since no one knows what the next ticket in the roll is going to win, from the perspective of the player, it's still a fair game like a ball drawing. Scratch-offs are not for everyone, but it's not rigged like the naysayers claim.
While it's easy to think that in order to win, you have to go to the "right" store at the "right" time, this is 20/20 hindsight. If you won, then you went to the right store at the right time. You can't know that in advance, so just play it anyway or play something or not play altogether.
At a casino, some of the games have outcomes that cannot be known in advance by anyone (slot machines or roulette) while others are "pre-determined", like baccarat or blackjack, where the cards are dealt from a shoe. The cards are just sitting there, having a definite value, but they're unknown (without cheating).
So, while the outcome of the next hand is "pre-determined" much like a scratch-off ticket, it doesn't dissuade players, as Baccarat and Blackjack are very popular, with some people dropping thousands of dollars on the games. Only after the cards come out do winners say "I'm so glad I bet $1,000 on this hand" and losers say "I wish I had not bet $1,000 on this hand". Hindsight is 20/20.
Congratulations!!
They have a few grand prizes or jackpots and thousands and thousands of losing tickets. The whole book or roll has maybe around 50% to 70% what the cost of the roll is in the first place. Scratchers are for people they are for fun, if you can take the money and run great have a good day, but they are not really for grand prizes. Save a few. Half the time at least here in NY they discontinue the game before all the grand prizes are even 'claimed'. Talk about a racket. Or as some say raqueteros. And now when everybody is complaining about not having money, they have at least again here in NY like 10 different $30 games, when they used to have only 1. It's a joke. Talk about hypocrisy. Oh win this, but meanwhile the dollar is worthless. Invest it instead. There's money to be made in stocks. I say stocks, but I also mean bonds. As in stock market. Sit back enjoy something real, like dividends. Gold is usually safe. Gold is over $3000 now. I remember it being around $600. The value of the dollar. These people are not stupid. They're making money. And selling false promises and dreams that aren't even real in the first place. Maybe an opinion, but many many many can testify. He won $6 mil after 40 years. How much of a gambler was he? Irrelevant, huh? The English like to gamble. I know.
Won $4.1 Million AND collected anonymously..... So they actually won twice...Congrats and enjoy for many years to come.
Saving money is another way of saying you don't have a plan.
My plan has always been to hit the lottery or die trying. This saving nonsense is for the birds. The cash you save is more valuable to spend now than saving it. What good is money when you are old anyway. You can't go anywhere or do much when all the people you used to do things with can't or are dead.
I totally agree with you on the statement you claim but it never hurts to have a plan B if lottery your priority. We all going to get old regardless I rather be old having something than having nothing due to the fact I put all my hopes in dreams into what many people claim is a control rigged system that not truly random like they want you to believe and you end up in a poor house. I never questioned the lottery it was rigged but now with this increase $5 and have me thinking a little what people saying , I guess. Lol Now no matter what Im starting to think or what people say, you still have to be in it to win it so yes I will play this lottery system only win it crosses 1 Billion especially on the $5 system they raise on us. Until then I'll continue to do it the turtle way in the race by investing in mutual funds and stocks dividend paying stocks by the way and maxing out my 401k 23k a year. I know everyone can't do what I do but remember the hare never won the race the turtle did and that's my plan A and lottery is my plan B.
* Sounds like your thinking mirrors that of the late David Lee Edwards.
So you feel there is no value or reason to play it unless it hits the one billion dollar mark. I guess you will be playing this 5.00 one about once a year then. You are throwing 23k a year into a 401k. I do not believe you even need to play the lottery at all.
I agree with you.
The lottery should not be viewed as a retirement plan.
The odds do not support that.
For me the lottery is a "What if" scenario.
I feed the lottery what I can without jeopardizing my retirement.
If I win, well, I win and be happy and do more.
🎯 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾 Their you go. You hit the nail right on its head. The truest statement I heard from any lottery post member in a very long time. Now if I can just get millions of others to see that around the nation to only play when the odds make sent and quit criticism on my opinions. Look the lottery wins at the end on these huge pots and all we are chasing a dream to hope you are a few of people to get struck by lighting