Last-minute decision brings a lucky player $25K a year for life

Many lottery players consider different signs when it comes to buying tickets.

Some players use lucky numbers, others consider lucky charms or even fortune cookies may help them with the big win.

In some cases, a last-minute decision may result in big wins, and this is what happened to one Fenton resident, the Michigan Lottery announced recently.

A Lottery player takes last-minute decision, wins from Lucky for Life

The lucky winner, Matthew Russell, of Fenton, made a last-minute decision to buy a ticket for the Lottery's popular game, Lucky for Life.

To his surprise, he won the second-biggest prize from the popular game, $25,000 a year for life.

The Fenton resident purchased his winning ticket at Hartland AC Holdings in Hartland.

The 57-year-old man visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim his prize recently.

As with other major lottery prizes, Russell was presented with two options: a lump cash sum or annuity payments.

Taking the annuity payment option would have granted the 57-year-old winner $25,000 a year for 20 years or for life, whichever is greater.

While lucrative, the man selected the lump cash sum option which made him $390,000 richer.

When asked what he plans to do with the lottery prize, Russell said he wants to save it and use it during his retirement.

The 57-year-old man nearly missed the prize

Although the Michigan Lottery announced the winner's name only recently, the draw he matched five white balls was on June 30.

To win the second-biggest prize from the Lottery's Lucky for Life game, Russell guessed the numbers 6, 9, 12, 24 and 32.

When asked about the day he stopped to buy a lottery ticket, the lucky player said he initially didn't plan to buy a ticket.

"I wasn’t going to play Lucky for Life that day, but I was driving by the store on my way home and decided at the last minute to stop and buy a ticket," explained Russel.

He said that on the next day, he called the Lottery's winners' hotline and shared his excitement.

Lucky for Life offers mouth-watering prizes

The cost per Lucky for Life ticket is $2.

Each draw of the popular game grants players a chance to win prizes between $3 and lifetime cash.

The overall odds of winning a prize from the popular game are 1 in 8.

On the other hand, the chances of matching five winning numbers are 1 in 1,813,028.

To win Lucky for Life's grand prize, players need to beat a chance of 1 in 30,821,472.

In case a lottery player is fortunate enough to beat those odds, they get to receive $1,000 a day for life.

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