Michigan man won $500,000 playing lottery for the first time
The Livingston man's winning ticket.
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Livingston County man walked into a convenience store recently and made a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a lottery ticket - his first ever.
Good thing he took his chances at the Fast Lane Convenience store in Saginaw. Waiting on the other side was $500,000.
The 21-year-old man told Michigan Lottery Connect that while he had never played any lottery game, he had seen his mom purchase tickets now and again, "so I decided to buy one while I was at the store."
"I didn’t know how to play the game, so I took the ticket home and had my parents walk me through it. When we revealed the $500,000 prize, we didn’t think it was real," he said.
The family needed more confirmation before they allowed themselves to believe it was real, so they took it to the lottery office in Saginaw and had them look at the ticket. They were in disbelief after the office confirmed its authenticity.
"I knew right then that this money was about to change my life. What makes it even more exciting is that today is my 21st birthday!" he said.
RELATED: 'I thought I won $500': Michigan woman wins $500,000 on lottery scratch-off ticket
The lucky winner was playing the Wild Side instant game.
He said he plans to study abroad, pay for his tuition, then save the remainder of the winnings.
Man, wife both misread $500,000 winning Michigan Lottery ticket
A Michigan couple were both wrong when looking at the prize they won on a lottery scratch-off ticket – the wife thought it was a $50 winner, while the husband saw $500. The Holiday Wishes instant game was a $500,000 winner.