Michigan man wins record-setting $7.9 million on lottery website after taking father's advice
(CBS DETROIT) - A man won the largest prize on the Michigan Lottery website, a $7.9 million Lotto 47 jackpot, after taking his father's advice, officials announced.
The 38-year-old Wayne County man, who decided to stay anonymous, matched the winning Lotto 47 numbers on May 22: 22-24-26-40-41-44. He bought the ticket on the Michigan Lottery website.
The player said he's been playing Lotto 47 for a while and used to always switch up his numbers until getting advice from his dad a few years ago.
"I have been playing Lotto 47 for a long time and would always switch up my numbers," said the lucky player in a Michigan Lottery release. "One day, my dad told me I should pick a set of numbers and stick with them, so that's what I did. I purchased an online subscription and have been playing the same set of numbers for a few years."
He immediately thought about his dad's advice when he discovered he had won.
"I saw an email from the Lottery saying I'd won a prize, so I logged into my Lottery account, and that's when I saw $7.19 million pending," the player said. "I was in total shock and instantly thought how my dad had been right!"
The 38-year-old claimed his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $4.9 million. He said he plans to invest with his winnings and put money into his children's college funds.
"This record-setting Lotto 47 jackpot win comes with an incredible story," said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. "It's not just the college funds of the winner's children that will benefit from Lottery dollars. All of Michigan Lottery's proceeds go to support public education programs in Michigan, and we are on track for a sixth consecutive contribution of more than $1 billion."
This was the largest prize ever won on the Michigan Lottery website, with the previous record being $5.75 million.
