These stories of lottery wins paint a picture of lives changed overnight. Among these tales, a Michigan lottery player had to check her $1 million winning ticket daily to believe it was real, while a beginner’s luck led a first-time player to a $500,000 prize, guided by his parents.
Whether it was a random thought while grocery shopping or a lottery player waking his wife to confirm a multimillion-dollar prize, these instances underscore the life-altering impact of luck.
No. 1: Husband shows wife huge Michigan lottery win — and it still takes 24 hours to sink in
“I couldn’t believe it.” A 67-year-old avid lottery player won $4 million with a scratch-off, Michigan officials said.
It took him 24 hours for the big win to sink in, and he had to have his wife double-check the ticket. | Read more
No. 2: Mom ‘flabbergasted’ as gifted lottery ticket from daughter wins big. ‘She deserves it’
“Are you sure it is real?”
A Maryland daughter’s $5 gifted lottery ticket to her mom turned out to be a $50,000 winner. Her mom thought it was a joke. | Read more
No. 3: Lottery player had to check winning Michigan ticket daily. ‘Not just seeing things’
“This can’t be real!” she thought after seeing her prize.
A Michigan woman said she needed to check her winning Michigan ticket daily to make sure she was “not just seeing things,” officials said. | Read more
No. 4: Lottery player gets phone call about Michigan jackpot win. ‘I thought it was a scam’
“After calling a few times to verify the prize, it finally hit me that it was real!” the winner said.
It took a few calls from lottery officials before one Michigan lottery player realized his BIG CA$H Second Chance jackpot win wasn’t a scam. | Read more
No. 5: Man thinks call from lottery is a scam — until he answers a second call. ‘Unreal’
“It was an unbelievable feeling and still feels unreal!”
Wayne County man thought an email, phone call from Michigan lottery informing him of his $100,000 win was a scam until he picked up the second call. | Read more
No. 6: Man kept counting the zeros on winning Michigan lottery ticket. ‘I almost cried’
A Michigan man was nearly brought to tears when he saw his $500,000 lottery win. He plans to retire with his winnings.
The daily lottery player said the win is “such a relief.” | Read more
No. 7: Woman used lottery winnings to win even bigger prize in Michigan. ‘This can’t be real’
“I still can’t fathom winning! It is unbelievable,” she said.
Michigan woman thought someone hacked her account when she saw huge lottery prize win after using previous winnings to buy another ticket. | Read more
No. 8: Beginner’s luck led first-time lottery player to huge win. ‘Didn’t think it was real’
The Michigan lottery prize came just in time for his 21st birthday.
A first-time lottery player, with the help of his parents, had beginner’s luck in the Michigan Lottery ahead of his birthday. He won $500,000. | Read more
No. 9: Movie ‘look-alike’ inspires lottery player to try his luck — and win big in Michigan
“I couldn’t believe my eyes!” the winner told Michigan lottery officials.
After seeing his movie “look-alike” win in the fictional lottery, a Michigan man decided to purchase a ticket. He won big. | Read more
No. 10: Woman makes a pitstop while picking up pizza — and returns home with a big lottery win
“I couldn’t wait until I got home!” the winner told Michigan lottery officials.
A Michigan woman decided to stop for a lottery ticket on her way to pick up a pizza. She came home a millionaire. | Read more
No. 11: Woman thought she won $500 in Michigan lottery. Her co-worker told her to look again
“I felt like I was going to have a heart attack!” she told lottery officials.
A Michigan woman thought she won $500 in the lottery until her co-worker told her to look again. She won $500,000. She plans to save. | Read more
No. 12: Couple thought they won $500 prize in Michigan lottery — but it was worth much more
“It’s still hard to believe this is really happening,” the winner told officials.
A Michigan couple thought they had won $500, but the prize was much, much bigger. The winner plans to purchase a home. | Read more
No. 13: Lottery player wakes up wife to confirm win in Michigan. ‘It all still feels surreal’
His lottery club is splitting the huge win.
The $6 million win shocked the three-person lottery club in Michigan. They’ll pay off mortgages and save. One man woke his wife to confirm the win. | Read more
No. 14: A ‘random thought’ while grocery shopping led to woman’s big Arkansas lottery prize
She bought the ticket with her remaining $3 after running errands, and learned the next day that she had won $75,000.
Her friends didn’t believe at first that she had won. | Read more
No. 15: Lottery winner thought he was dreaming after checking numbers at 2:30 a.m. It was real
“It really was hard to know if I was dreaming or if I had really won big because it was the middle of the night,” he told Michigan officials. | Read more
This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which aggregated and summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.
