Samantha Midcalf-Gulliver of Saginaw plans special birthday after winning $100,000 playing Michigan Lottery’s $100 Grand Cashword Game.
A Saginaw woman plans to have a special birthday this weekend after winning $100,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s $100 Grand Cashword instant game.
The winner, Samantha Midcalf-Gulliver, first thought she’d won $1,000 with nine words on her $100 Grand Cashword ticket. When she checked with a retailer, she found that she had 10 words and had won one of the top prizes for the $3 game.
“I was shocked. I was excited about winning $1,000, but when I found out that I’d won $100,000, it was unbelievable,” she said. “My birthday is coming up Sunday and it’s so great that I won this big prize right before my birthday.”
Midcalf-Gulliver said she’s an avid Cashword and Bingo instant game player. Until buying the big winner Wednesday evening, the biggest prizes she’d won previously were $100. She purchased her winning ticket at the Tustin EZ Mart, located at 20027 N. Mackinaw Trail, in Tustin.
Midcalf-Gulliver came to Lottery headquarters on Thursday to claim her $100,000 prize and said she plans to pay off her car loan and pay some other bills. She wasn’t sure exactly how she’ll celebrate her 24th birthday on Sunday “but it’s going to be something special.”
Players have won nearly $21.7 million playing the popular $100 Grand Cashword game, which was launched on Dec. 2, 2014. Each $3 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to $100,000. More than $4.6 million in prizes remain in the $100 Grand Cashword game, including one $100,000 top prize and 39 $1,000 prizes.
Lottery instant games may be purchased at 11,000 retailers across the state.
