Great Lakes Wire

A man from Kalamazoo County has claimed a $1 million prize from the Michigan Lottery’s 50X instant game. The unnamed 59-year-old referred to his win as “freeing, life-changing, and still setting in.” Describing his approach to the lottery as "scratch-off roulette," he recounted buying various scratch-off tickets, scanning them for wins, and being amazed at his $1 million prize.

“This lucky player cashed in on our 50X instant game which is part of the Multiplier family of instant games,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. She added that such games "are popular among our players and help drive sales and increase our contribution to the School Aid Fund." Shkreli congratulated the winner and his wife for an "early retirement," noting that the ticket purchased at Ziggy’s on North Riverview Drive in Kalamazoo would enable this.

The man, who recently collected his prize from Lottery headquarters, opted for a lump sum of around $694,000. His plans include saving the winnings mainly to allow his wife to retire early. The 50X game, introduced in February, has already seen players win over $16 million. It offers $10 tickets with prizes between $10 and $1 million. Remaining are over $45 million in prizes, including two $1 million top prizes.

For the year 2024, players of lottery instant games won almost $1.8 billion. The games are available for purchase at various retailers across Michigan.