The 2021 list of million-dollar lottery winners in Michigan just grew by one.
A man from Genesee County rolled a lucky streak into a big win via the Red Hot Millions scratch-off game from the Michigan Lottery.
The winning Red Hot Millions ticket came from a Shell gas station about 20 miles out of Flint in Clio, Mich., netting a $1M prize to the lucky man who spent $10 on the ticket.
Early numbers were good luck omen
When the million-dollar-prize winner began scratching his winning ticket, two numbers popped up that inspired hope. The 50-year-old, who chose to remain anonymous, explained why to the Michigan Lottery.
“I have been pretty lucky on the Red Hot Millions game, so I’ve continued playing it,” the player said.
“I started scratching the ticket and saw the numbers ‘09’ and ’19’ in the Hot Numbers section and thought: ‘I am going to win big on this ticket,’ because those are my lucky numbers.”
Big-money news gets winner all worked up
The winner couldn’t believe it when he saw the numbers.
“When I revealed a ‘19’ and ‘$1MIL’ symbol, I freaked out!” he said. “My wife was at work, so I started driving to her office, but had to pull over to calm down because I was so worked up.”
After visiting the lottery headquarters in Lansing, the Genesee County man chose to take his winnings the way many winners do: in one lump-sum payment of $634,000, rather than 30 years of payments for the full amount.
The player said he had many feelings when he won and that he plans to use the prize money to buy a new home and truck.
“I have so many emotions about winning $1 million, but relief is the biggest one,” he said. “We can finally do the things we have been wanting to do.”
Odds of a meaty Red Hot Millions win are dwindling
The remaining big-money prizes for the instant game are decreasing. Tickets cost $10 and offer a prize range from $10 to the $1 million.
According to the Michigan Lottery, just one $1 million dollar prize is left and players have just a couple dozen chances to score a $2,000 prize. The next biggest prize is $500, with more than 200 still out there.
Michigan Lottery list of millionaires closing in on 2020 total
The Sept. 9 win for the Genesee County man made him the 41st million-dollar-or-more winner in the state this year. His lucky buy came a week after a Sterling Heights man won $4 million playing Diamond 7s.
A player with good luck bought the first $1M Red Hot Millions prize from a party store in Taylor on June 8.
In 2020, the Lottery reported 48 Michiganders bought winning tickets worth $1 million or more.
