Lottery player wins big in MI after store clerk suggestion. ‘Can’t believe this’
A Michigan lottery player won a big prize from a scratch-off ticket after taking a store clerk’s suggestion to buy it, lottery officials said.
Amanda Hughes won a top prize worth $500,000 in the 50X Wild Time game, the Michigan Lottery said in a June 6 news release.
She said she originally asked for a different scratch-off ticket, but the store was sold out of it, so the clerk suggested she buy this one, according to the lottery.
“I wasn’t sure if it was real at first,” Hughes told lottery officials. “I thought I must not have read the instructions correctly, so I reread them and then went back into the store to scan the ticket and have the clerk look at it.”
She bought her ticket for $10 at a gas station in Marquette, the lottery said.
Hughes said she plans to buy a house with part of her winnings and save the rest for her kids, according to lottery officials.
“I still can’t believe this is real! This money is going to be life-changing for my family,” she told lottery officials.
The 50X Wild Time game started in February 2024 and features prizes ranging from $10 to $500,000, according to the game’s web page.
The overall odds of winning in the game are 3.34, lottery officials said. No top prizes remain.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Lottery player wins big in MI after store clerk suggestion. ‘Can’t believe this’."
