Lottery prize makes for an unforgettable birthday

By Kate Northrop

DETROIT, Mich. — A Michigan woman had an unforgettable birthday celebration, but there was one gift that stood out above the rest when it turned out to be a lottery ticket worth a $1 million prize.

This is going to be one birthday that a Michigan Lottery player will never forget. A Detroit resident has her brother to thank for gifting her a lottery ticket that turned out to be a $1 million winner.

Receiving the ticket, however, was no surprise for this anonymous winner, rather it was the number on that ticket that gave her a shock she'll never forget.

"My brother buys me a lottery ticket for my birthday every year," the woman told the Lottery. "I scratched the ticket, and when I saw I won $1 million, I was in complete shock."

For her birthday this year, her brother bought her a $10 "$1,000,000 Jumbo Cash" ticket from Parkway Foods on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, and while it's not the first time she's won big on tickets, there were few words to describe winning a prize this big.

"I am happy when I win $20, so winning a $1 million prize is an amazing feeling," the 68-year-old winner related.

Last week, she visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim her prize, which she chose to receive as a one-time lump sum of about $634,000 over the annuity payments that would pay out the full $1 million prize.

The cash option will give her plenty of wiggle room to buy a new car, and she'll share the rest with her family.

With the second $1 million top prize now claimed in the "$1,000,000 Jumbo Cash" game, only one top prize remains, along with 123 out of 220 second-tier prizes of $2,000 and 1,094 out of 2,227 third-tier prizes of $500 left to claim.