A Michigan couple made a pit stop for gas on their way home from vacation and ended up winning a $500,000 lottery prize.
Aug. 20 (UPI) — A Michigan couple made a pit stop for gas on their way home from vacation and ended up winning a $500,000 lottery prize.
The 64-year-old Genesee County man told Michigan Lottery officials he hadn’t originally planned to buy any lottery tickets when he stopped at the Shell gas station on South Main Street in Standish.
“My wife and I were on our way home from vacation and stopped to get gas,” he said. “When I was in line to cash out, the person ahead of me bought several scratch-off tickets, which inspired me to buy a few. I bought two Detroit Tigers tickets for myself and two Cashword tickets for my wife.”
The couple played their tickets when they arrived home later that day.
“We sat down at the table later that night and scratched our tickets. When I saw I had a $500,000 winner, I was in disbelief. My wife and I looked at the ticket numerous times to make sure we were reading it right. I kept thinking I misread the directions and just won a smaller amount on the ticket because I couldn’t wrap my head around it actually being a $500,000 winner,” he said.
The winner said his prize money will make a nice cushion for retirement and allow him to share some money with his children.
“You work your whole life to save for retirement, so it feels unreal to make the same amount of money you worked years for in one day,” the player said.