A Monroe County man wrote “$2,500,000” over and over after learning he’d won a $2.5 million Lotto 47 jackpot from the Michigan Lottery.
The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched all six Lotto 47 numbers drawn Saturday: 02-16-23-26-39-41. He bought the winning ticket at the Uptown Bar, located at 8 West Front Street in Monroe.
“I checked my tickets Monday during my trip to the grocery store,” said the 75-year-old player. “When I scanned the Lotto 47 ticket, I got a message to see the retailer. The clerk printed off the numbers and we both looked over my ticket. She told me I’d won the jackpot and my first reaction was: ‘I did?’
“When I got home, I kept writing ‘$2,500,000’ down on a piece of paper because I just couldn’t believe I’d won so much and I wanted to see what it felt like to write such a huge number.”
The player visited Lottery headquarters Tuesday to collect the big prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.6 million, rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to share with his family and take a vacation.
“I’m retired and live a comfortable life, but don’t have much money to spend on my family. This will allow me to help them tremendously,” the player said.
Each Lotto 47 play is only $1. Players select six numbers from one to 47 for a chance to win a jackpot starting at $1 million and grows until someone wins it. For an additional $1 per game, players may add EZMatch to their ticket for a chance to win up to $500 instantly. For an additional $1 per play, players may add Double Play to their ticket for a chance to win up to $1.5 million in the Lotto 47 Double Play drawing. Lotto 47 drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturday at 7:29 p.m. Tickets may be purchased until 7:08 p.m. on the day of the drawing.
About 97 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to vendors and retailers. In the 2018 fiscal year, the Lottery provided more than $941.2 million for Michigan’s public schools, its fourth record contribution in row. Since it began in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $22 billion to support public education in Michigan.
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