Michigan Lottery Connect

A Macomb County man ran out of the store in shock after finding out his Diamond 7s ticket was worth $4 million.

The lucky 42-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the Meijer store, located at 100 Pigeon Road in Bad Axe. Bad Axe is about 50 miles northeast of Bay City.

“I like playing the $20 and $30 instant tickets and I had a few of them to cash while I was at the store one day,” said the player. “When I got up to the counter, I saw there were only two Diamond 7s tickets left, so I purchased them both. I scratched the barcodes and had the clerk scan them right away. When one of them gave a message to file a claim, I started scratching it off at the counter with the clerk.

“As soon as I scratched the winning symbol and saw ‘4MIL’ underneath, I grabbed the ticket and ran out of the store. I was in complete shock!”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $2.5 million rather than 30 annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to purchase a home and then save the remainder.

“Winning is such a blessing, I still can’t believe it’s real,” the player said.

Players have won more than $139 million playing Diamond 7s which launched in April 2021. Each $30 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $30 up to $4 million. More than $12 million in prizes remain, including one $15,000 prize, and 33 $5,000 prizes.

In 2021, Lottery players won more than $1.8 billion playing instant games.