A Macomb County man filled his stocking with cash last Christmas after winning $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s 25 Days of Winning instant game! The player held onto the winning ticket for nearly one year before recently claiming his prize.

“Every year for Christmas, my wife and I buy lottery tickets for the whole family,” said the lucky 68-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous. “During our family Christmas party last year, our son fanned the tickets out and went around to each family member and had them pick one. Once everyone had a ticket, we all sat down and started scratching.

“After a minute or two went by, someone yelled out: ‘Anyone win anything yet?’ I said that I’d won something, but I thought it was only $500. A family member pulled up the Lottery app and scanned the ticket, and then looked at me and said, ‘Uh, you have a few more zeros than that!’ I couldn’t believe it when they told me it was a $500,000 winner!”

The winning ticket was purchased at M & H Petro LLC, located at 16851 15 Mile Road in Clinton Township. The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. He plans to save his winnings and use it as a financial cushion.

Players won more than $18 million playing 25 Days of Winning, which launched in November 2025. Each $10 ticket offered players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000.

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

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