Third time's the charm

By Kate Northrop

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. — A Michigan man found great luck on his third lottery ticket purchase, in which he won a $2 million top prize after two tries.

Third time's the charm for one Michigan lottery winner, who won a $2 million top prize on a scratch-off game on the third ticket he bought.

The anonymous player's string of lottery purchases took place at River Oaks Marathon on Ann Arbor Trail in Dearborn Heights. While there, he spotted the $30 "Colossal Cashword" game.

"I bought a 'Colossal Cashword' ticket while I was at the gas station and won $30, so I used my winnings to buy another one," he told the Michigan Lottery. "The second ticket was a non-winner, so I decided to try one more. I bought a third ticket and scratched it in the store. When I revealed the seventh word, I assumed it was a $600 winning ticket, so I scanned it and got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office."

Regardless of the amount, he realized the ticket was definitely worth a significant win and decided to stop while he was ahead.

"I took the ticket out to my car and gave it to my wife to scan on her Michigan Lottery app," the winner continued. "When $2 million came up on the scanner, I started screaming. My wife tried to calm me down so people wouldn't hear me, but I couldn't contain my excitement!"

The 32-year-old recently visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim the $2 million prize and opted to receive it as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million. He plans on using the winnings to buy a house, a car, and help his family in other ways.

"Playing Lottery Instant Games can change your life in an instant, just like this lucky new millionaire found out," Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli said in a press release. "Congratulations to the player and his family on their $2 million win!"

With the lucky winner's recent claim, only one out of three top prizes of $2 million remain in the $30 "Colossal Cashword" game, which launched in September 2023. There are also 10 out of 23 second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 85 out of 175 third-tier prizes of $5,000 left to win.

According to the Lottery, players have won more than $65 million playing "Colossal Cashword," and more than $52 million in prizes remain.

The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.44.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)The third time was a charm for a Wayne County man who bought three Colossal Cashword instant tickets and won the game’s $2 million top prize. The winning ticket is pictured here.