An Ionia County man couldn’t believe his eyes when he won $300,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Mystery Prize Cashword instant game.

Nicholas Sanders, of Belding, purchased the winning ticket at Mini Market, located at 404 West Main Street in Belding. Belding is about 30 miles northeast of Grand Rapids.

“I like to play the Cashword games and have been playing them quite a bit lately,” said Sanders. “When I scratched off the ticket and saw I’d won $300,000, I thought I was reading it wrong. It wasn’t until after I called the Lottery to confirm my prize that I let myself get excited!”

Sanders, 40, visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay bills and invest.

“It’s a great feeling knowing I will be able to pay off my bills and live comfortably,” said Sanders.

Players have won more than $41 million playing Mystery Prize Cashword which launched in December. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $30 million in prizes remain, including two $300,000 top prizes and 131 $1,000 prizes.

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

In 2021, Lottery players won more than $1.8 billion playing instant games.