A Genesee County woman who had never played the lottery before, got a Detroit Tigers instant ticket as a gift and won the game’s $500,000 top prize!

“I got the ticket as a gift, but I didn’t know how to play it since I’d never played the lottery before, so I just set it aside and never scratched it,” said the lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous. “A few days later, a family member saw the ticket laying around, so I told him he could scratch it for me.

“I was cleaning up after dinner when he asked if it was some sort of prank ticket because it showed a $500,000 win. I figured he was joking, so I kept on cleaning the kitchen. He walked over to me and handed me the ticket with shaky hands. When I saw the $500,000 win, I didn’t believe it was real until I took it to the store and had the clerk scan it. It still doesn’t feel like this is really happening!”

The winning ticket was purchased at Saginaw Fuel Mid LLC, located at 11842 South Saginaw Street in Grand Blanc. She recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay off her car and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $27 million playing the Detroit Tigers instant game, which launched in April 2025. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. More than $4 million in prizes remain, including one $2,000 prize.

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

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