Amanda Dietz smiles after receiving a $300,000 check from Lottery Commissioner, Aric Nesbitt.
The weight of student loan debt has been lifted from a Kalamazoo County woman after she won $300,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Multi-Prize Bingo instant game.
Amanda Dietz, of Vicksburg, bought her winning ticket at the Speedway gas station located at 350 South Grand Street in Schoolcraft.
“I asked the clerk what ticket had been lucky and he suggested a different game, but I love bingo tickets, so I decided to buy the new Multi-Prize Bingo game,” said Dietz. “I bought it on a Monday and scratched a little bit of it here and there over the next couple days.”
Dietz, 35, thought she had a $100 winner and returned to the Speedway to cash the ticket in and that’s when she learned she had won much more.
Dietz’s winning ticket.
“The clerk scanned the ticket and told me it was a big winner and that I would have to call the Lottery office,” said Dietz. “I didn’t really believe it because I don’t have that kind of luck. After I spoke with the Lottery office, it finally started to sink in that I had won $300,000! Over the next few days, that ticket didn’t leave my sight. It was with me at all times.”
Dietz visited Lottery headquarters on Tuesday to claim her prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay off her student loan debt, take a cruise vacation, and then invest the remainder.
“The day I bought my ticket, I had just given a speech about student loan debt. I told the audience how wonderful it would be to win the Lottery to wipe all of my debt out at once, and now here I am,” said Dietz. “It’s incredible.”
Players have won more than $1.7 million playing Multi-Prize Bingo, which launched in October. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $17 million in prizes remain, including two $300,000 top prizes, five $12,000 prizes, 10 $10,000 prizes, 34 $2,000 prizes, and 68 $1,000 prizes.
Lottery instant games may be purchased at 11,000 retailers across the state.
In 2016, Lottery players won nearly $817 million playing instant games.
