Lottery winner was ‘shaking like a leaf’ as he scratched off a life-changing ticket

When a Michigan man won a massive lottery jackpot, his first thought was to call his wife.

But a simple audio call wouldn’t do the trick.

“I FaceTimed my wife to show her the ticket because I knew she wouldn’t believe me unless she saw the ticket too,” the player told Michigan Lottery officials.

There was good reason his wife may have been skeptical. He had just won $2 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Scorching Hot 7’s scratch-off game, lottery officials said in a Wednesday, July 26, news release.

The Wayne County man said he purchased the winning ticket at a convenience store in Ypsilanti, about 40 miles west of Detroit.

“I had recently bought a couple of Scorching Hot 7’s tickets and didn’t win,” the 38-year-old said. “I decided to try my luck again on a break from work, and I am really glad I did!”

His ticket was one of three $2 million winners offered in the game.

“I scratched the ticket in the parking lot and started shaking like a leaf when I saw the ‘2MIL’ symbol,” he said.

He told lottery officials he plans to pay bills and take a vacation with part of his winnings.

“Winning doesn’t feel real, and probably won’t until our bills are paid,” he said.

This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 7:10 AM with the headline "Lottery winner was ‘shaking like a leaf’ as he scratched off a life-changing ticket."