LANSING, Mich. – An Ogemaw County woman turned a $20 prize into a $300,000 prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Super Bingo game.
Irene Balfour, of Rose City, bought her winning ticket at the Shell Gas Station, located at 600 West Houghton Avenue in West Branch. Rose City is about 15 miles north of West Branch.
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“I was cashing in a $20 winning ticket and I had been wanting to play this bingo game for a while” said the 63-year-old Balfour. “I bought the Super Bingo ticket and when I was walking to my car, I found a quarter on the ground that I picked up to use to scratch the ticket, which is now my lucky quarter.
“I scratched off the first bingo row and was happy I won. I kept scratching and revealed a second and third bingo. After revealing the fourth, I knew I had won big. I told my husband: ‘We have to go to Lansing!’”
Balfour visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay off her home and purchase a new car.
“I win here and there, but I have never won this big. It is an indescribable feeling,” Balfour said.
Players have won more than $5 million playing Super Bingo, which launched in October 2018. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $20 million in prizes remain, including two $300,000 top prizes, eight $10,000 prizes, and 82 $1,000 prizes.
Lottery instant games may be purchased at 11,000 retailers across the state.
In 2017, Lottery players won more than $960 million playing instant