‘Last minute’ decision to buy a lottery ticket brings Indiana woman ‘sense of relief’

While traveling through Michigan, an Indiana woman and her husband stopped along the highway at a Meijer gas station and picked up a few lottery tickets.

“I bought some draw tickets for my mom,” the 57-year-old — who chose to remain anonymous — told Michigan lottery officials. Then, “I saw the diamond on the instant game ticket and decided to grab one at the last minute.”

“I put the tickets in my purse and left them for a couple of days,” she said.

When she sat down to scratch off her Double Diamond Instant Game ticket, she won the $1 million prize, Michigan lottery officials said in an Oct. 6 news release.

“I was surprised,” she said. “I kept thinking: ‘This can’t be right.’ So, I asked my husband to look at the ticket and he confirmed I had just won $1 million!”

The woman claimed her prize as a lump sum payment of $693,000 before taxes instead of receiving the full amount in 30 annuity payments.

“Winning has given me such a sense of relief to know that I will (be) comfortable financially for years to come,” the woman said. She plans to pay bills and save the remainder.

The woman bought the winning ticket in Stevensville, a town about 200 miles west of Detroit and about 20 miles north of the Indiana-Michigan line.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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