Great Lakes Wire

A St. Joseph County resident has claimed a $2 million prize after playing the Michigan Lottery’s $2,000,000 Lucky instant game. The 66-year-old winner, who requested anonymity, said he usually buys lower-priced tickets but decided to try the new $20 game at his regular store.

“I typically only play $5 and $10 tickets, but $2,000,000 Lucky was one of the newer games at the store I usually go to, so I gave it a try,” he said. “Game five was the last part of the ticket I scratched, so when I revealed the first ‘$2MIL’ symbol I thought: ‘Well this ticket is a loser,’ because I never thought I’d actually win the $2 million top prize.

“When I scratched off the second ‘$2MIL’ symbol I went back into the store and had the worker scan it. He handed me a slip that said to file a claim at the Lottery office and that’s when I knew I just won $2 million!”

Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli commented on the win: “Trying out a new game paid off in a big way for this lucky player who won $2 million playing the $2,000,000 Lucky instant game. Congratulations to the player and his wife on their life-changing win and on an early retirement!”

The winning ticket was purchased at Lightning Quick Gas N Go #11 in Sturgis, about 40 miles southeast of Kalamazoo. The winner chose to take his prize as a lump sum payment of approximately $1.3 million instead of annuity payments. He plans to use his winnings for travel and early retirement.

“Although I’m still trying to wrap my head around winning $2 million, it’s nice to know my wife and I will now be able to retire earlier that we planned,” he added.

Since its launch in May, players have won over $27 million from the $2,000,000 Lucky game. Each ticket costs $20 and offers prizes ranging from $20 up to $2 million. There are still more than $77 million in prizes available for this game, including two remaining top prizes of $2 million and 52 prizes of $2,000.

In 2024 alone, Michigan Lottery instant games awarded nearly $1.8 billion in winnings across the state.

Lottery instant games are available for purchase at retailers throughout Michigan.