Lottery player wins jackpot prize while at Michigan dive bar. ‘Tried to play it cool’

A Michigan man bought a few lottery tickets while at a dive bar, though he didn’t think he won any prizes.

But just to be sure, the Wayne County man said he scanned his tickets.

“I got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office on one of them, so I looked the ticket over again,” the man told Michigan Lottery officials. “Seeing the three jackpot symbols was unbelievable!”

He had won a $589,042 Jumbo Jackpot Slots Fast Cash jackpot while at Parts & Labor Bar in Melvindale, according to an April 26 news release.

“I put the ticket in my pocket and tried to play it cool the rest of the night, but it was hard because I was so excited,” the man said. “As soon as I left the bar, I called my friends and family to tell them what I’d won.”

He plans to use his prize money to invest and pay bills, officials said.

“You see people winning the Lottery, and you never think it will be you, so winning is a very surreal feeling,” he said.

Melvindale is part of the Detroit metropolitan area.

This story was originally published April 26, 2023 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Lottery player wins jackpot prize while at Michigan dive bar. ‘Tried to play it cool’."