Wife ‘thought something bad’ happened after husband’s reaction to Michigan lottery win

After a $10 lottery win, a Michigan man’s decision to try his luck again will pay life-changing dividends.

The 50-year-old lottery player won $500,000 by purchasing two tickets of the Michigan Lottery’s 5X Multiplier instant game. He bought the the two tickets at a Meijer gas station in Portage with $10 in winnings from a previous game, according to lottery officials.

Even after scanning the winning ticket two times, he still “had a hard time believing it was real,” said the Kalamazoo County man, who remained anonymous.

His shock pales in comparison to the reaction from his wife.

“When I got home, my wife thought something bad had happened because of how I was acting,” he told lottery officials. “When I told her I’d won $500,000, she didn’t believe me. As soon as the lottery office verified the prize over the phone, she broke down crying. It has been such a crazy experience!”

Now with a half-million dollar prize, he said he plans on using the money to invest and complete home renovations.

This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Wife ‘thought something bad’ happened after husband’s reaction to Michigan lottery win."