A retailer selling out of an Otsego County woman’s favorite game led her to trying a new game and winning a $1 million prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Times 20 instant game.
Bonnie Hitchings, of Johannesburg, bought her winning ticket at the Shell gas station, located at 1025 West Main Street in Gaylord. Johannesburg is about 12 miles southwest of Gaylord.
“I stopped at the gas station to buy a few Daily 4 tickets,” said Hitchings. “When I was checking out, I asked for the Win $100, $200 or $500 ticket, but they were sold out, so I got a Cashword Times 20 ticket instead. I scratched the barcode and scanned the ticket three times. I kept getting a message to file a claim at the lottery office, so I assumed their scanner was broken and went out to my car to scan it on the Lottery app.
“When I scanned the ticket, confetti came up on the screen with a message saying I won $1 million. I went back into the store to show the worker and everyone in the store was so excited. Everywhere I go lately I have people stopping to congratulate me. It’s a crazy and exciting feeling!”
Hitchings, 67, recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000 rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to take a trip to Alaska and invest.
Players have won more than $77 million playing Cashword Times 20, which launched in Sept. 2022. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $1 million. More than $19 million in prizes remain, including one $1 million top prize, 16 $5,000 prizes, and 217 $1,000 prizes.
If you believe you have a gambling problem, you can call 800-270-7117 or text 248-648-3363 for confidential support.