The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the Meijer store, located at 550 Baldwin Street in Jenison.
“I was on a break at work and stopped in the Meijer for a coffee,” said the 78-year-old player. “I was sitting in Starbucks scratching the ticket off and saw a ‘300000’ symbol. I called a friend of mine over to double check the ticket and he confirmed it looked like a winner.
“Still in disbelief, I walked to the ticket checker to scan my ticket. When the scanner told me to contact the Lottery, I knew I really had a winner!”
The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay bills, buy a new car, and take a trip to Europe with his wife.
“I just kept thinking to myself after I scratched the ticket off: ‘I’m going to be out of debt really quickly,’” said the player.
Players have won more than $12 million playing Poker Multiplier, which launched in August. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $9 million in prizes remain, including one $300,000 top prize and 32 $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.