News writer
As the clock ticked down to the new year, one Michigan man was about to discover his luck had already turned. The lucky man from Dryden, who has been a loyal Powerball player for the last decade, rang in 2025 with a $1 million surprise.
A single ticket he purchased before Christmas turned out to be a big winner. This just goes to show that persistence — and a weekly $2 investment — can lead to life-changing rewards.
A weekly tradition pays off
Robert Benaglio has been buying Powerball tickets from the Michigan Lottery every week for the past 10 years. That persistence finally paid off with a $1 million win recently!
During the December 23, 2024, drawing, Benaglio matched the five winning white ball numbers to win the $1 million prize.
The winning numbers for that drawing were 22, 42, 44, 57, and 64, and the Powerball number was 18. He bought the winning ticket at the Metamora BP, located at 3839 South Lapeer Road in Metamora.
While Benaglio won during the December 23 drawing, he didn’t check his ticket until New Year's Eve. He told lottery officials:
The only word I can use to describe the feeling of finding out you've won $1 million is shocking. I think it's finally starting to hit me and I'm just now believing that this is real!
Cashing in those winnings
While it took him some time to find out he won the $1 million, it also took him a little time to collect his winnings. However, he recently made his way to lottery headquarters to collect his check.
Now that he has the money in hand, he told officials that he plans on paying off his vehicles, taking a vacation, and then saving the rest of it. Oh, and he also plans on playing Powerball.
“I still plan to continue my weekly ritual of buying a Powerball ticket,” said Benaglio. “I get $2 worth of daydreaming out of it each week, so why not?”
2024 Millionaire club
While Benaglio collected his winnings in 2025, he was an official winner in 2024. According to lottery officials, there were 10 Michigan Lottery players that became millionaires playing the Powerball multi-state draw game in 2024. This includes the lottery club that won the $842.4 million jackpot.
The winners aren't the only ones cashing in on these winning tickets. The lottery retailers selling them are too. In 2024, these lucky retailers earned over $348 million in bonus commissions from the state lottery.
Second chances paid off
Benaglio was persistent while winning $1 million, but a Genesee County man was persistent in holding out hope and it paid off. The 59-year-old man, who chose to remain anonymous, may have lost on his $300,000,000 Extraordinaire scratch-off ticket, but he entered it into the second chance game and walked away with $100,000 recently.
The man earned entries into the drawing by scanning non-winning tickets on the Michigan Lottery app. Then on December 17, 2024, the drawing was held and his name was selected as the $100,000 winner.
He recently visited lottery headquarters to claim his prize and told lottery officials:
I’ve won a few smaller prizes in second chance drawings before, and always thought to myself: 'It would be so cool to win one of the big $100,000 prizes.' When I got an email telling me I'd won a $100,000 prize, all I could think was: 'This has got to be a joke.' I can't believe it actually happened!
It was no joke and now that he has his winnings, he said he plans on paying some bills and just saving the remaining money.
Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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