A Mason County man turned a $3 investment into a $264,584 jackpot playing the Michigan Lottery’s Fantasy 5 game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched the numbers drawn on Friday – 11-15-17-18-34 – to win the big prize. He bought his winning ticket at the Branch Grocery Store, located at 9455 East U.S. 10 in Branch.

“I stopped to buy gas and the ticket wouldn’t scan at the self-scanner, so I asked the clerk to scan it,” said the player. “When her machine couldn’t process it the clerk told me a jackpot winner had been sold nearby, so I asked her for a print out of the numbers.

“When I saw all my numbers matched, at first I was in denial that I had won. But that quickly turned into shock.”

The 53-year-old player visited Lottery headquarters Wednesday to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay some bills, invest for his retirement, and set up college funds for his children.

“This isn’t going to change us, but I do think we’ll take a better vacation this year. This gives us some breathing room and makes life a little easier,” the player said.

Each Fantasy 5 play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, EZmatch may be added to a Fantasy 5 ticket, giving players a chance to win up to $500 instantly. Fantasy 5 players select five numbers from one to 39. Players who match all five Fantasy 5 numbers drawn win a jackpot that starts at $100,000. Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 p.m. Tonight’s Fantasy 5 jackpot is $155,000.