Man’s daily scratch-off ritual lands him massive Michigan win. ‘Dream come true’

A man’s daily routine led him to a massive Michigan Lottery prize, officials said.

The 50-year-old Wayne County man went about his day with the usual routine of buying a scratch-off ticket in Plymouth, according to a Dec. 27 news release by the Michigan Lottery.

He had no idea the $10 Wild Cherry instant ticket was carrying a $1 million prize, officials said.

“I like playing all of the different Lottery games, and I have a daily ritual of stopping at the Way Station to purchase a scratch off ticket,” the player told lottery officials. “I scratched the Wild Cherry ticket when I got home and when I saw it was a $1 million winning ticket, I had to scan it on the app to make sure I was reading it right. Once the app confirmed my prize, I woke up my wife to tell her the good news!”

The man took the one-time lump payment of about $693,000 instead of yearly payments for the entire amount, officials said.

“The future is looking a lot brighter thanks to this prize,” the player told officials. “I feel extremely lucky to have won!”

He plans to use the money for home improvements and a vacation, the release said.

“Scratching off a $1 million winning ticket would be a dream come true for anyone, and it became a reality for this lucky player in an instant playing the Wild Cherry game,” Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli said in the release. “Congratulations to the player on his incredible win!”

Plymouth is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Detroit.

This story was originally published December 27, 2024 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Man’s daily scratch-off ritual lands him massive Michigan win. ‘Dream come true’."