VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. – A Michigan dad bought a lottery ticket on a whim and ended up winning a $5.46 million jackpot.
The 43-year-old Van Buren County man, who decided to stay anonymous, bought the winning Lotto 47 ticket at the Speedway gas station at 3908 South Westnedge Avenue in Kalamazoo, according to Michigan Lottery officials.
“I play Lotto 47 every once in a while, and decided to buy a few tickets on a whim,” said the player. “When I saw the jackpot was over $5 million, I told my family: ‘That money is going to be mine!’
He matched the six Lotto 47 numbers drawn – 13-25-30-35-38-46 – on April 23 to win a $5.46 million jackpot.
“I checked the winning numbers online that night after the drawing and recognized them instantly,” the 43-year-old said. “I had to recheck the numbers several times after seeing I matched them all because it was so surreal. Once I was sure I’d really won the jackpot, I ran out the door and down the street because I was so excited!”
“My wife didn’t know what was going on, so my daughter said to her: ‘I think dad just won the Lottery!’ Winning a prize like this feels unreal and is still sinking in,” the player said.
The Van Buren County man decided to receive his prize as annual payments of about $182,000 for the next 30 years. He plans to use the money to take care of his family.
Each Lotto 47 play is $1, and drawings take place at 7:29 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. People can purchase Lotto 47 tickets online or at retailers until 7:08 p.m. on the drawing date.
