An Oceana County woman walked around for three days with a Triple Bonus Cashword ticket worth $500,000 in her purse before realizing she’d won the big prize.

Ann Tanner, of Walkerville, bought her winning ticket at the Wesco, located at 806 South Stewart Avenue in Fremont.

“I bought the ticket, stuck it in my purse, and forgot about it,” said Tanner. “I take care of a gentleman who has a brain injury and while I was waiting for him to finish an appointment, I found the ticket and scratched it.

“When I saw it was a big winner I was hysterical. I drove around the block about seven times calling everyone I could think of leaving voicemails that no one could understand!”

The 63-year-old Tanner visited Lottery headquarters Friday to claim the big prize. With her winnings she plans to invest for retirement.

“Winning this prize means we’ll be able to enjoy our retirement a little more. We’ll take more vacations, and spend more time with our family,” Tanner said.

Players have won more than $38 million playing Triple Bonus Cashword, which launched in December 2016. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. A new version of Triple Bonus Cashword was released in November 2017 featuring more than $36 million in prizes, including three $500,000 top prizes and 16 $1,000 prizes.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at 11,000 retailers across the state.

In 2017, Lottery players won more than $960 million playing instant games.