A Michigan man used a coin from his late father to scratch off a $4 million instant win lottery game, his second such prize.
Mark Clark, of South Rockwood, said his father gave him the coin that led to his latest improbable Michigan Lottery win, which came on a $30 ticket.
Clark was playing $150,000,000 Payout this month for his second big bet. He scratched a Millionaire’s Club ticket last time in December 2017 for his original win.
“You don’t think you’ll win millions once, and you definitely never think it would happen twice,” Clark said in a statement released by the Michigan Lottery. “It’s hard to put into words exactly what I am feeling.
“I scratched the ticket off in the store with a coin my dad gave me about 10 years ago. We lost him about a year ago after some health struggles, and I can’t help but think maybe that lucky coin helped me win this.”
Clark’s story was one of a couple of lottery anomalies in Michigan recently, as the state reopened its offices after the COVID-19 outbreak.
‘Everything is pretty amazing right now’
Clark, 50, bought his winning ticket on June 4 at Ash Market in Carleton. His winning ticket in 2017 was from the 127 Party Store in Hudson.
Clark chose to take a lump-sum payment of about $2.5 million instead of payments reaching $4 million. He said he retired after his last win and has spent his time fishing.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and a lot of downs in my life, but everything is pretty amazing right now,” Clark said.
According to the Michigan Lottery, players won more than $169 million playing $150,000,000 Payout, which launched in February 2018. Each $30 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $30 up to $4 million.
Lottery instant games may be purchased at 10,500 retailers across the state. In 2019, lottery players won more than $1.2 billion playing instant games.
Clark was not the only big winner to visit lottery offices for a claim since last week.
UP woman thought she won only $250
An Upper Peninsula woman needed to put her glasses on to realize her latest luck.
Michele Premeau, of Marquette County, was playing the Diamond Payout instant game online when she hit a $250,000 prize.
“I play online occasionally and pick a mix of games to play randomly,” Premeau, 52, said in a release. “When I won, I thought I had hit $250. I didn’t realize it was really $250,000 until I put on my reading glasses!
“Winning feels amazing. It’s really going to help my family. During the last couple months, it’s been nice to relax and enjoy more time together, and with this, I can really slow down and enjoy life.”
Michigan Lottery players have a chance to win up to $500,000 instantly playing online with bigger money jackpots also available from Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Lotto 47 and Fantasy 5.
Through its online platform, the lottery offers Michigan players more than 90 different games with plays ranging in price from 5 cents to $20.
More than 1 million players have registered to play the Michigan Lottery’s online games, which were launched in 2014. In 2019, lottery players won more than $845 million playing games online.
Waterford woman nets $70 million in Powerball
The big prize lately in Michigan was a Waterford woman cashing in on a $70 million jackpot in Powerball.
Cristy Davis, 40, matched all the winning numbers in the Feb. 12 drawing after purchasing the ticket at Huron Plaza Liquor store in Pontiac.
She opted for a lump-sum payment of $50 million, or about $36 million after taxes.
Davis was the fifth Michigan player to win a Powerball jackpot since the game began 10 years ago. Donald Lawson, of Lapeer, won the state record, $337 million, in 2012.
