In Michigan, a man accidentally won a $1 million prize while purchasing a lottery ticket at a convenience store. The man, a 45-year-old resident of Van Buren County, had intended to buy a scratch-off ticket but was given a Major Cashword lottery ticket by mistake by the clerk.
The Michigan Lottery announced in a press release on April 21st that the man decided to keep the incorrectly given ticket. The man said, “I occasionally buy Major Cashword tickets, but getting this one was purely accidental.” The next morning, he scratched the ticket and had his wife scan it using a lottery app on her phone. When the screen displayed $1 million, he was in disbelief at first, thinking it was a prank. After realizing it was real, he buried the ticket in a jar in his yard out of fear of something happening if it was kept in the house.
The man recently visited the lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He chose to receive a lump sum of approximately $634,000 after taxes instead of taking multiple payments. He plans to use the money to pay bills, pay off his mortgage, and save for retirement.
The Major Cashword lottery ticket has been available since February 2024, with players winning over $65 million in prizes so far. The ticket costs $10 each, with prizes ranging from $10 to $1 million.
Instances of winning a big prize by accident, like this one, have also occurred in Virginia. Last year, a woman named Miriam Long mistakenly bought a Powerball ticket instead of a Mega Millions ticket at a convenience store’s vending machine. The Powerball ticket ended up winning her $1 million, despite intending to play the Mega Millions, which had a jackpot exceeding $800 million at the time.
These stories of unexpected lottery wins serve as reminders of the unpredictable nature of luck in the lottery world.