Great Lakes Wire

An Alpena County resident has experienced a significant financial change after winning a $500,000 prize from the Michigan Lottery’s 50X Wild Time instant game. The man, choosing to remain anonymous, described his usual routine which led to the win: “Each morning, I buy a newspaper, coffee, and one Lottery ticket.” Upon scratching off his ticket, he remarked, “When I scratched the ticket off, all I could think when I scratched the prize amount was: ‘Well, that’s weird.’”

Informing his wife immediately, the couple shared their newfound relief. “I told my wife right away and we both just felt a sense of relief come over us. This means so much to our family and will really take financial pressure off of us,” he shared. The winning ticket was purchased at the Alpena Shell gas station, situated at 1017 Chisolm Street in Alpena. Upon claiming his prize at the Lottery headquarters, the winner announced plans to use the funds to settle bills and save the rest.

Since its launch in February 2024, the 50X Wild Time game has distributed more than $60 million in prizes. The $10 tickets offer a variety of winnings, ranging from $10 to $500,000. Currently, there are still over $31 million in prizes to be claimed, which includes two top prizes of $500,000, 66 prizes of $10,000, and 116 prizes of $1,000.

In the year 2024, players of the Michigan Lottery’s instant games collectively won almost $1.8 billion. These games are available to purchase at various retail locations throughout the state.