An Iosco County man is looking forward to having some fun after winning a $500,000 prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s The Perfect Gift instant game.

The lucky 51-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, purchased his winning ticket at Miners Grove, located at 500 North Wilber in East Tawas.

“I purchased the ticket the night before Thanksgiving and then scratched it the next day while me and my wife were making Thanksgiving dinner,” said the player. “When I saw I won $500,000, I was in disbelief. I had my wife check the ticket over to make sure I was reading it right.

“I am so grateful to have won a $500,000 prize. I have been playing the Lottery for a long time, and it feels great that it finally paid off!”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize.

“I don’t have any specific plans in mind for the money yet, but I am looking forward to having some fun with it,” the player said.

Players have won more than $16 million playing The Perfect Gift which launched in October. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. More than $16 million in prizes remain, including one $500,000 top prize and nine $2,000 prizes.

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

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