The third time was a charm for a Wayne County man who bought three Colossal Cashword instant tickets and won the game’s $2 million top prize!

The lucky 32-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the River Oaks Marathon, located at 20015 Ann Arbor Trail in Dearborn Heights.

“I bought a Colossal Cashword ticket while I was at the gas station and won $30, so I used my winnings to buy another one,” said the player. “The second ticket was a non-winner, so I decided to try one more. I bought a third ticket and scratched it in the store. When I revealed the seventh word, I assumed it was a $600 winning ticket, so I scanned it and got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office.

“I took the ticket out to my car and gave it to my wife to scan on her Michigan Lottery app. When $2 million came up on the scanner, I started screaming. My wife tried to calm me down so people wouldn’t hear me, but I couldn’t contain my excitement!”

“Playing Lottery Instant Games can change your life in an instant, just like this lucky new millionaire found out,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Congratulations to the player and his family on their $2 million win!”

The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to buy a house and a car and help his family.

Players have won more than $65 million playing Colossal Cashword which launched in Sept. 2023. Each $30 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $30 up to $2 million. More than $52 million in prizes remain, including one $2 million top prize, 10 $10,000 prizes, and 86 $5,000 prizes.

In 2023, Lottery players won nearly $1.8 billion playing instant games.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at retailers across the state.