Great Lakes Wire

An Isabella County resident has won $500,000 after playing the Michigan Lottery’s Detroit Lions instant game. The 74-year-old man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, purchased his winning ticket at GCK Oil Inc. on Main Street in Blanchard, located about 20 miles southwest of Mount Pleasant.

The winner explained how the purchase happened: “I went to the store to buy a Powerball ticket, and my wife told me to get a few Detroit Lions tickets while I was there,” he said. “I scratched the tickets the next morning and when I saw the $500,000 prize, I said to my wife, ‘Looks like we’re going to Lansing!’”

He continued, “When I told her how much we’d won, she thought she was going to pass out! We were both dumbfounded. The shock hasn’t worn off yet, so we still can’t think straight, but what we do know is that this prize is going to be life-changing for us.”

The winner recently visited Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He plans to donate part of his winnings, set aside funds for his grandchildren, and save the remainder.

The Detroit Lions instant game began in August. Since its launch, players have collected more than $7 million in prizes. Tickets cost $5 each and offer prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. According to Michigan Lottery officials, over $21 million in prizes are still available for this game—including two remaining top prizes of $500,000 and seven prizes of $2,000.

In 2024 alone, players across Michigan won almost $1.8 billion from instant games statewide.

Lottery instant games are sold by retailers throughout Michigan.