A Bay County man couldn’t help but shout after winning $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Black Pearls instant game.

The lucky 69-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, purchased his winning ticket at the Marathon gas station, located at 3790 Euclid Avenue in Bay City.

“Me and my wife love playing the Lottery and we are always playing different instant games,” said the player. “We had purchased a few tickets and my wife scratched the Black Pearls game. When she was done, she handed me the ticket and asked me to confirm the winning amount. As soon as I saw the $500,000 prize, I started shouting with excitement! We both couldn’t believe it.”

The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to help his family and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $16 million playing Black Pearls which launched in August. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. More than $15 million in prizes remain, including one $500,000 top prize and six $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.