Michigan man stays true to ritual, wins life-changing $2m prize

• Mackinac County man won a life-changing prize from the Michigan Lottery’s Two Million Dollar Cashword game
• The winner, a 27-year-old man, always bought lottery tickets when traveling with friends
• Initially, the player thought he won $10,000, but after finding out an extra word, he was shocked to see that the $30 ticket actually brought him $2m

A young man who stayed true to his ritual of purchasing a lottery ticket every time he was on a trip won a life-changing jackpot.

That’s the story of a 27-year-old man from Mackinac County, who won one of the top prizes from the Michigan Lottery’s Two Million Dollar Cashword ticket.

The winner stopped to buy a ticket "per usual"

Each Two Million Dollar Cashword ticket costs $30.00 per play and offers players a chance to win a prize between $30 and $2m.

The lucky winner, who chose to remain anonymous, won the first top prize from the popular scratch-off ticket for a sweet $2m payday.

While on a road trip with friends, the fortunate player decided to try his luck with the $30 ticket.

He purchased his winning ticket at the Meijer gas station on 1106 West 3 Mile Road in Sault Sainte Marie.

In an interview for the Michigan Lottery, the lucky man admitted that he has a ritual of buying a lottery ticket every time he’s on a trip with friends.

"I was in Sault Sainte Marie with a friend, and we were getting ready to head home, so I stopped and got my ticket per usual," the winner explained.

Once he purchased the ticket, as he was walking back to his car, the player asked one of his friends if they thought people would win from such tickets.

It didn’t take long for the 27-year-old man to realize that a $30 scratch-off can indeed bring a life-changing prize.

The man said that he started scratching off the ticket, but initially didn’t see how many words he had uncovered.

"I counted nine words a few times, so I thought I’d won $10,000 until I found a tenth word a few minutes later," the fortunate player said.

He added: "When I realized I’d actually won $2m, I’ll be honest, I cried like a baby! It still feels like a dream."

Only recently, the lucky man visited the Lottery headquarters to claim his big win.

Instead of receiving the entire sum via annuity payments, the Mackinac County man chose to take home a one-time lump sum of approximately $1.3m.

Asked about his plans for his newfound fortune, the man said he will invest it and go on a trip to Hawaii.

The popular ticket offers two more top prizes of $2m each

The $2m win marked the first top prize from the Two Million Dollar Cashword ticket.

Two more top prizes of $2m each remain in play from the ticket that was introduced this year in January.

On the other hand, a tier-two prize awards $10,000 and out of 20 such prizes initially, 16 remain in play.

A tier-three prize from the $30 scratch-off ticket awards $5,000 and there are 90 such prizes in play.

The overall odds of winning any prize from the Two Million Dollar Cashword ticket are 1 in 3.44.

So far, players across Michigan have won more than $27m in prizes from the ticket.

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