Wayne County man wins $1M lottery prize: ‘The future is looking a lot brighter’

(Courtesy Michigan Lottery)By Matt Durr | mattdurr@mlive.comLANSING, MI -- A daily stop finally led to a huge lottery win for a 50-year-old Wayne County man as he recently won a $1 million jackpot playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Cherry instant game. Free Games + Up To $100 “I like playing all of the different Lottery games, and I have a daily ritual of stopping at the Way Station to purchase a scratch off ticket,” said the winner, who chose to remain anonymous. “I scratched the Wild Cherry ticket when I got home and when I saw it was a $1 million winning ticket, I had to scan it on the app to make sure I was reading it right. Once the app confirmed my prize, I woke up my wife to tell her the good news!”The winner bought his ticket at the Way Station, located at 950 South Main Street in Plymouth. He visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing recently to claim his prize. He elected to receive the money as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $693,000 rather than the annuity.“The future is looking a lot brighter thanks to this prize,” said the player. “I feel extremely lucky to have won!”Along with living a more comfortable life, the winner says he plans on using the money to complete some home renovations and take a vacation.“Scratching off a $1 million winning ticket would be a dream come true for anyone, and it became a reality for this lucky player in an instant playing the Wild Cherry game,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Congratulations to the player on his incredible win!”For the latest on Michigan Lottery, check out the official Michigan Lottery site, which also offers more information on instant tickets, raffles and other lottery games.The last players from Michigan to win a Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot is the Breakfast Club lottery club which claimed a $842 million jackpot in June 2024. The members plan to use the money to buy a home in Florida and travel.And while they were lucky winners, it’s smart for players to check their tickets immediately as a Mega Millions winner worth $1 million sold in Southfield in 2023 went unclaimed. The money instead went to the state’s School Aid Fund.READ MORE:Live Mega Millions numbers for 12/24/24; jackpot worth $1 billion$1M Powerball winner sold in Michigan for drawing on 12/23/24Live Mega Millions results for 12/20/24; jackpot worth $862MLive Mega Millions results for 12/17/24; jackpot worth $760MDaily routine helps Wayne County man land $300K lottery jackpotIf you have a gambling problem and are located in Michigan, call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-270-7117 or you can visit the Michigan Gaming Control Board's website at https://www.michigan.gov/mgcb.If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.