“King Cashword is my favorite game,” said the lucky 75-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous. “When I scratched this ticket, I thought I won $5,000 and I was thrilled! I looked at the ticket a few more times, which is when I realized I missed the ‘L’ in the call letter box and actually won $1 million.
“I was in disbelief, so I drove over an hour to the Lottery office in Grand Rapids so I could have them check the ticket and confirm that it really was a $1 million winner. I’m still shaky and in shock at the thought of winning this much money!”
The player bought his winning ticket at Maple Valley Market, located at 106 West 2nd Street in Trufant. Trufant is about 35 miles northeast of Grand Rapids. He recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $693,000 rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With his winning, he plans to donate, help others, and start a trust fund for his children.
Players have won more than $57 million playing King Cashword, which launched in June 2025. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $1 million. More than $14 million in prizes remain, including eight $5,000 prizes, and 146 $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.