A 26-year-old woman from Oakland County, Michigan, became a millionaire after receiving a lottery ticket from her father as a surprise gift. The scratch-off ticket turned out to be a $4 million winner.
The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, said her father gave her the $150,000,000 Spectacular instant game ticket “just because.” She recalled being touched by the gesture, unaware of how life-changing it would become.
“I was surprised when he handed it to me and asked him why he bought it for me,” she said. “He said it was a ‘just because gift,’ which I thought was really nice of him.”
The ticket was purchased at Light House Liquor, located on West 9 Mile Road in Oak Park, just northwest of Detroit.
“When I scratched the ticket off, I was stunned to see that it was a $4 million winner,” she said. “I screamed. I cried. I was and still am shocked I won $4 million.”
Michigan Lottery rules require prizes of $100,000 or more to be claimed in person at the state’s lottery headquarters. Winners must present the original ticket, a valid photo ID, and a Social Security card.
Although she had the option to receive the prize in annual payments, the woman chose a one-time lump sum of approximately $2.7 million.
Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli called the win “life-changing,” especially for someone so young. “She will be able to use this prize to positively impact her life for many years to come,” Shkreli said.
The $150,000,000 Spectacular game launched in December 2023 and has awarded more than $18 million in prizes so far. The $30 scratch-off still offers over $153 million in remaining prizes, including two more $4 million top prizes.
In 2023 alone, Michigan players won nearly $1.8 billion playing instant games. Officials are also still searching for holders of two unclaimed tickets worth a combined $806,000 and a Powerball ticket worth $1 million.
Larger jackpots have become more common in recent years, with changes to Powerball and Mega Millions rules. In February 2023, California’s Edwin Castro won the biggest lottery prize in U.S. history — a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.
