A Bay County man had a hard time keeping his composure when he won $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Time Millions Instant Game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the Sunrise Convenience Store, located at 3950 East Wilder Road in Bay City.

“I purchased the ticket and scratched it when I got to my car,” said the 48-year-old player. “I revealed the star symbol but wasn’t sure what it meant. It was dark out, so I was having a hard time reading the ticket.

“I set the ticket aside and started driving home. A few minutes later, it hit me that the star probably meant that I won the prize underneath. I immediately pulled over and turned on the light in my car to look at the ticket again. When I realized that I’d won, I couldn’t help but shout. It was unbelievable!”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000 rather than 30 annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to purchase a new home, a new car, and then invest the remainder.

“I still can’t comprehend that this is happening. When I called the Lottery and confirmed my prize, I couldn’t keep it together because I was so happy!”

Players have won more than $34 million playing Wild Time Millions which launched in September. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $1 million. More than $82 million in prizes remain, including two $1 million prizes, 37 $10,000 prizes, and 764 $1,000 prizes.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the10,500 retailers across the state.

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