Great Lakes Wire

A 26-year-old woman from Ottawa County has won $300,000 after playing the Michigan Lottery’s Safe Cracker Cashword instant game. The winner, who asked to remain anonymous, said she did not usually play Cashword games but bought two tickets when her preferred options were unavailable at a local store.

“I don’t usually play Cashword games, but the store was out of the two tickets I usually play, so I bought two Safe Cracker Cashword tickets instead,” she said. “I scratched one of the tickets before going to bed and saved the other one for the morning.

“I scratched the ticket as soon as I woke up and counted the words over and over again when I realized I had 10. I was shocked and excited but tried to stay calm when I realized I’d just won $300,000! It still doesn’t feel real.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Speedway on 1815 Baldwin Street in Jenison. The winner recently visited Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. She plans to use her winnings to pay off her car, invest some of the money, and save the rest.

Since its launch in December, players have won more than $26 million from the Safe Cracker Cashword instant game. Each $5 ticket gives participants a chance to win prizes between $5 and $300,000. There are still over $10 million in prizes available for this game, including one remaining top prize of $300,000 and 41 prizes of $1,000.

In 2024 alone, nearly $1.8 billion in prizes were awarded to Michigan Lottery instant game players.

Lottery instant games can be purchased at retailers throughout Michigan.