A Houghton County woman turned “white as a ghost” after winning $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Platinum Wild Time instant game.
The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at Louie’s Super Value Foods, located at 53115 State Highway M-26 in Lake Linden. Lake Linden is about 10 miles north of Houghton.
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“I braved a snow storm to go grab a few groceries at Louie’s,” said the 39-year-old player. “I bought a $5 ticket and won $10, so I went back in and bought the Platinum Wild Time ticket.
“I scratched the ticket off when I got home and when my husband came in to the room he asked if I was OK because I was white as a ghost. I handed him the ticket and he almost ripped it in half because he thought it was a fake. We felt nauseous, thrilled, and then nauseous again!”
The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. With her winnings, she plans to buy a new vehicle and then save the remainder.
“This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to us. I still can’t believe it happened. Everything had to align just right for us to win,” the player said.
Players have won more than $43 million playing Platinum Wild Time, which launched in October 2017. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. More than $3 million in prizes remain, including nine $10,000 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 games.