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Wife double-checks husband’s big Michigan lottery jackpot win. ‘Still hasn’t sunk in’

The man won the jackpot from the Oct. 31 Fantasy 5 drawing, according to Michigan Lottery officials. He recently claimed his prize.
The man won the jackpot from the Oct. 31 Fantasy 5 drawing, according to Michigan Lottery officials. He recently claimed his prize. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A 64-year-old man who regularly plays the same Michigan Lottery game with his special sets of numbers recently won a huge jackpot prize.

And because he uses those special numbers, he was pretty confident he had won as soon as he checked the results after the Oct. 31 drawing, according to a Jan. 11 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

But he needed to be sure.

“I had my wife look the ticket over to make sure I was reading it correctly and then immediately locked the ticket in our safe,” the Kent County man told lottery officials when claiming his prize. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I really won!”

He won a $337,757 Fantasy 5 jackpot, officials said, using numbers 02-07-19-20-25.

Those special numbers are made up of birthdates, the husband said when recently claiming his prize. He bought his ticket at Coit Libation Station in Grand Rapids.

He plans to use the jackpot winnings to pay bills, renovate his home and donate to charity, according to the release.

After taxes, he took home about $242,340.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Wife double-checks husband’s big Michigan lottery jackpot win. ‘Still hasn’t sunk in’."

KA
Kaitlyn Alatidd
McClatchy DC
Kaitlyn Alatidd is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter based in Kansas. She is an agricultural communications & journalism alumna of Kansas State University.
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