An Arenac County man and his wife didn’t sleep for days after winning $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Electric 50s instant game!

“I was on my way home from work and stopped to buy a lottery ticket,” said Patrick Jedrzejczyk, of Alger. “There are a few scratch-off games I usually play, Electric 50s being one of them, and that’s what game I just happened to pick that day.

“I scratched the ticket when I got in my car and went numb when I saw I won $500,000. I called my wife and said: ‘I can’t breathe!’ She thought I was having a medical emergency until I said: ‘I just won half a million dollars!’ When I hung up, I scanned the ticket on the Michigan Lottery app to make sure it was real.

“We called our kids to tell them, and they thought we were pulling an early April Fools’ Day prank. This has been an unbelievable experience. My wife and I haven’t slept in days!”

Jedrzejczyk, 61, bought his winning ticket at the Sunrise Store, located at 2474 Vern Court in West Branch. West Branch is about 40 miles southeast of Grayling. He recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings he plans to pay bills and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $13 million playing the Electric 50s instant game, which launched in June 2025. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. More than $18 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 prizes and 17 $1,000 prizes.

In 2025, Lottery players won more than $1.7 billion playing instant games.

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