A holiday wish turned into reality for a Saginaw County woman, who won $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Holiday Wishes instant game.

“I only play Lottery instant games around Christmas time,” said Kelly Renner, of Chesaning. “When I bought the ticket, I thought: ‘I hope this is a holiday wish! It would be so wonderful to win!’”

Renner, 59, bought her winning ticket at Lara’s Market, located at 1310 West Brady Street in Chesaning. Chesaning is about 35 miles northwest of Flint.

“I scratched the ticket off on New Years Eve and thought I had a $5,000 winner,” said Renner. “When my brother-in-law looked at the ticket, he discovered that it was actually a $500,000 winner!

“Winning is a dream come true for me. I have had a really tough year, and this is such a relief. I can take care of my kids and help my sister out a little and that is a wonderful feeling.”

Players have won more than $18 million playing Holiday Wishes, which launched in October 2023. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. More than $12 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 top prizes and five $2,000 prizes.

In 2022, Lottery players won more than $1.7 billion playing instant games.

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