The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at Louie’s Super Value Foods, located at 53115 State Highway M-26 in Lake Linden. Lake Linden is about 10 miles north of Houghton.
“I braved a snow storm to go grab a few groceries at Louie’s,” said the 39-year-old player. “I bought a $5 ticket and won $10, so I went back in and bought the Platinum Wild Time ticket.
“I scratched the ticket off when I got home and when my husband came in to the room he asked if I was OK because I was white as a ghost. I handed him the ticket and he almost ripped it in half because he thought it was a fake. We felt nauseous, thrilled, and then nauseous again!”
The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. With her winnings, she plans to buy a new vehicle and then save the remainder.
“This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to us. I still can’t believe it happened. Everything had to align just right for us to win,” the player said.
Players have won more than $43 million playing Platinum Wild Time, which launched in October 2017. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. More than $3 million in prizes remain, including nine $10,000 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.