Man buys Lotto 47 tickets on a whim, wins $5.46 million jackpot
By Joseph Buczek
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VAN BUREN COUNTY, Michigan (WWJ) — A Van Buren County man bought a few Lotto 47 tickets on a whim and walked away $5.46 million richer.
The 43-year-old man, who wishes to remain anonymous, matched the six Lotto 47 numbers in the April 23 drawing: 13-25-30-35-38-46. He purchased the winning ticket at a Speedway gas station at 3908 South Westnedge Avenue in Kalamazoo.
“I play Lotto 47 every once in a while and decided to buy a few tickets on a whim,” said the player in a news release. “When I saw the jackpot was over $5 million, I told my family, ‘That money is going to be mine!’
“I checked the winning numbers online that night after the drawing and recognized them instantly. 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 man elected to receive his winnings as annual payments of about $182,000 for the next 30 years instead of a one-time lump sum payment of $3.7 million.
With his winnings, the player plans to take care of his family.
“Congratulations to the lucky player on his $5.46 million Lotto 47 jackpot win! It is great to hear that this prize is going to have a positive impact on the winner and his family,” said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “A big congratulations are also in order to the retailer that sold the winning ticket. The retailer will receive a $5,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.”
Each Lotto 47 play costs $1. Players pick six numbers from 1 to 47 for a chance to win a jackpot that starts at $1 million and grows until someone wins it. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play can be added to a Lotto 47 ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $1.5 million in nightly Double Play drawings.
Lotto 47 drawings take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:29 p.m.
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