[toc]A Michigan man was talked into buying an extra lottery ticket by the cashier at a Shell Gas Station. That lottery ticket turned into a $390,000 jackpot.
“I stopped on my way home from work Friday to grab a Mega Millions ticket, and just before I turned to leave the clerk asked if I wanted a Fantasy 5,” said John Yager II. “I bought a Fantasy 5 ticket and didn’t think about it again until I was at dinner later that night.
“We finished eating and my wife, Chris, told me to check my ticket on the Lucky Spot at the restaurant. I scanned it twice and got a message I’d never seen before so I decided to head home and check my ticket online.”
Suffice it to say, Yager was probably pretty happy the cashier was skilled in the art of upselling. So far, there is no word on whether he has dropped by the gas station to offer up a small token of his gratitude.
A bigger payday
When Yager realized he’d matched all five numbers on the Fantasy 5 ticket, the excitement of a six-figure payday was palpable.
“When John told me what we’d really won, he was white as a ghost,” Yager’s wife Chris said. “I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack or pass out right in front of me.”
But as it turns out, Yager’s excitement would soon be kicked up a notch. He won more than he originally thought. When he looked online, Yager saw he won $100,000. But that number posted was only because the Michigan Lottery website had accounted for Yager’s winning ticket and reset the jackpot.
In reality, Yager’s winning ticket was for $390,422.
How to play Fantasy 5
Fantasy 5 is a daily draw game, similar to Powerball or Megabucks. In Fantasy 5, players choose five numbers from 1-39. They must match all five to win the jackpot.
Fantasy 5 tickets cost $1. The jackpots start at $100,000. They can grow quite a bit larger though. A Fantasy 5 jackpot will continue to increase until its hit. As John Yager learned, the game can go quite a while without a winning ticket. As a result, the jackpot can grow well beyond $100,000.
Once the jackpot is hit, it will reset to $100,000 for the next day’s drawing.
Because Michigan is one of four states that sells lottery products online, Michiganders can purchase Fantasy 5 tickets at retail lottery locations or online.
Online lotteries have a couple of advantages.
First, If you purchase your Fantasy 5 tickets online, you can enter your numbers for up to 60 consecutive days, so you won’t miss a drawing.
Additionally, online players will also be alerted about any prizes they won the next time they log into their Michigan Online Lottery account.
