Michigan man wins $500,000 lottery prize due to unavailable ticket
July 10 (UPI) -- A Michigan man won a $500,000 lottery prize thanks to his local store being sold out of the ticket he had originally intended to buy.
The 57-year-old Tuscola County man told Michigan Lottery officials he had a specific scratch-off game in mind when he visited the Speedway on West Caro Road in Caro.
"I stopped at the gas station to buy a Triple Red 777s ticket, but they were sold out, so I told the cashier to give me a Detroit Tigers ticket instead," the player recalled. "It was hard to believe when I saw I'd won $500,000, but after looking the ticket over several times, I told myself it must be real."
The man said he needed a second opinion to fully believe his luck.
"I signed the ticket and took it back into the store to have the cashier check it. After she scanned it, she handed it back and said: 'Looks like you have to go to Lansing for this one!' Winning $500,000 is an answered prayer and still hasn't fully sunk in."
The winner said his prize money will go toward helping his family and investing.
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