A Saginaw man is looking forward to having a financial cushion for his family after winning $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Millions instant game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the Kroger store, located at 4672 State Street in Saginaw.

“I play the Cashword games regularly and purchased some while I was at the store,” said the player. “I was grilling out that night and decided to scratch my tickets. When I realized I’d won $1 million, I was so shaken up and excited, I couldn’t even finish cooking my dinner.”

The lucky 43-year-old player visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000 rather than annuity payments for the full amount. He plans to save his winnings.

“This prize provides a financial cushion for me and my kids. I’ve never had this kind of money, so it is going to change our lives,” said the player.

Players have won more than $90 million playing Cashword Millions, which launched in August 2019. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $1 million. More than $7 million in prizes remain, including 8 $5,000 prizes and 112 $1,000 prizes.

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

In 2020, Lottery players won more than $1.5 billion playing instant games.