An Alpena County man’s second choice turned into big bucks after he won $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Emerald 10’s instant game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at The Corner Depot, located at 999 Long Rapids Road in Alpena.

“I was looking for a different $10 instant game, but the store was out,” said the player. “I saw the Emerald 10’s ticket and decided to give it a try.

“I scratched the ticket, and thought I won $1,000 and set it aside. I started scratching the second ticket I bought, and all the zeros caught my eye. When I focused in on the prize amount, I couldn’t believe it.”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000, rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to complete some home repairs and then invest the remainder.

Players have won more than $35 million playing Emerald 10’s, which launched in October 2019. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million. More than $10 million in prizes remain, including one top prize of $1 million, 12 $10,000 prizes, and 32 $1,000 prizes.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at 10,500 retailers across the state.

In 2019, Lottery players won more than $1.2 billion playing instant games.