Great Lakes Wire

An Oakland County woman celebrated her wedding anniversary with an unexpected windfall, winning $2 million from the Michigan Lottery's Diamonds & Gold instant game. The 44-year-old winner, who chose to remain anonymous, shared that she and her husband enjoy playing various scratch-off tickets, particularly the Diamonds & Gold game.

"We scratched this ticket off together on our wedding anniversary and my husband noticed the $2 million prize first," she said. Doubting their luck, they took the ticket to a store for confirmation. "A message came up to file a claim at the Lottery office, so we asked a friend to scan it on her Lottery app. I started shaking and was in total shock when $2 million came up on the screen," she added.

Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli congratulated the couple: "Congratulations to the lucky player and her husband who had a day they will never forget after winning $2 million on their wedding anniversary!" She noted that the prize would positively impact their children's future education.

The winning ticket was purchased at Opdyke Featherstone Mobil in Auburn Hills. The winner opted for a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million instead of annuity payments. She plans to use her winnings to buy a house, invest, and save for her children's college funds.

Since its launch in March 2024, players have won over $54 million playing Diamonds & Gold. Each $20 ticket offers prizes ranging from $20 up to $2 million, with more than $49 million still available in prizes.

In 2024 alone, lottery players won nearly $1.8 billion through instant games available across Michigan.