The only thing that might be better than discovering you have one winning Mega Millions ticket is finding you have two. One lucky Michigan lottery winner did just that.
The Dearborn Heights man played some lucky numbers online on what he thought was just one ticket for a drawing this summer. He later discovered he actually played those winning numbers twice, meaning he doubled his win.
Michigan lottery winner’s happy mistake
According to a press release from the Michigan Lottery, Samir Mazahem, 56, matched the five white balls — 01-05-09-10-23 — on June 9. When he checked the app recently, he made two exciting discoveries.
First off, he discovered the matching numbers led to a million-dollar prize. Then, he discovered that he unintentionally made his play twice instead of just one time.
“I went online and bought a ticket using numbers that are family birthdays,” explained Mazahem.
“I forgot to save the numbers as favorites in the app, so I went back in and set them up as favorites so I could easily play them in the future. What I didn’t realize, is that meant I would be buying a second ticket with the same numbers. Once I figured out I had bought two tickets with identical numbers, I was a little bummed but didn’t think much about it. I recently logged into the app to check on some tickets I had bought. That is when I saw I had two $1 million prizes pending. Saying that I was stunned is an understatement. I couldn’t believe it was real. It took several days for the reality to set in that my mistake had paid off to the tune of $2 million!”
Mazahem claimed his prizes last week. He said he is going to buy a new home then save the rest for his retirement. In the interim, he plans to continue working.
Record high jackpot for Lotto 47 in Michigan
While there’s no guarantee that other Michigan online lottery players might have the same good fortune, now is a great time to play one of the lottery games.
The potential payoff has never been higher.
If the current trend continues, the jackpot for Lotto 47 might eventually reach its namesake number. It’s already set to be the most lucrative in the game’s history.
The estimated value for the drawing on Wednesday, Oct. 28, is $27.1 million. The previous high for the game was $23.6 million, claimed all the way back in March 2008.
Tickets start at just $1 and players can buy them online or at any retailer. Drawings take place Wednesdays and Saturdays. For an additional dollar or two, players can buy chances at instant winnings and nightly drawings.
