All news

Michigan couple 'sitting pretty' after winning Fantasy 5 jackpot while on vacation

Vacation purchase paid off!

David Constantakis, with his $232,658 Michigan Lottery check.
David Constantakis, with his $232,658 Michigan Lottery check. Photograph credit to the Michigan Lottery.
Todd Betzold

Vacations are fun and relaxing, but winning the Michigan Lottery while on vacation has to make it extremely more satisfying!

Triple the winners

A Wayne County man and his wife are celebrating after they won a share of a $697,974 Fantasy 5 jackpot from the Michigan Lottery.

The big Fantasy 5 jackpot was for the July 12 drawing, and three lucky players — one from Isabella County, one from Macomb County, and one from Wayne County — split the $697.974 jackpot. Each player received $232,658.

The winning numbers for the July 12 drawing were 8, 17, 18, 24, and 29.

One of those lucky players was David Constantakis of Wayne County, who purchased his winning ticket from Family Fare, located at 1002 Forest Avenue in Frankfort.

Constantakis, 68, told lottery officials:

I was on vacation in Frankfort and bought a few Fantasy 5 tickets when I stopped at the store to get snacks for our canoe trip.

'I was in awe!'

The Family Fare stop and purchase of lottery tickets paid off for Constantakis, as he later found out!

I took the tickets back to the store after the drawing and scanned them. I got a message to see the retailer on one of them, so my wife pulled up the winning numbers online and read them off. When she got to the last two numbers, she said: “If we have 24 and 29, we are going to be sitting pretty!” When I looked down at the ticket and confirmed those were my last two numbers, I was in awe!

Constantakis recently made his way to the Michigan Lottery Headquarters to claim his winnings. With the money, he told officials he plans on paying off his home, donating some of the money, and then saving the rest of it.

The other big winners

While Constantakis is out there celebrating his big win with his wife, the other two winners decided to keep it more to themselves.

The Isabella County winner, who chose to remain anonymous, purchased her winning ticket online at the Michigan Lottery website.

The Macomb County winner, who also chose to remain anonymous, purchased her winning ticket from Groesbeck & Elizabeth Petro, located at 43561 Groesbeck Highway in Clinton Township.

Big second chance win for this Michigan Lottery player

Another Macomb County man got a second chance at winning in the Michigan Lottery, and he ended up doing a happy dance at work after finding out he won $100,000!

The 53-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, won the $100,000 after he was selected in a random drawing that took place on July 2 for the 500X Money Maker second chance game. He earned entries by scanning non-winning 500X Money Maker tickets using the Michigan Lottery app.

The notification from the Michigan Lottery about his big win actually went to his spam folder, so it's a good thing he checked that folder, too!

He told lottery officials:

When I opened the email and saw I'd won the $100,000 prize, I started jumping up and down! I'm not much of a dancer, but I even broke out into a happy dance because I was so excited! I called my wife right after to tell her the good news.

The big winner recently visited the Michigan Lottery Headquarters to collect his prize. With his winnings, he said he plans on taking a vacation and then saving the rest of it.

Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

Related games

Comments

0
Loading comments

Related articles

Japanese man hides his lottery win
How one jackpot meltdown explains a new trend in lottery planning

His lavish secret life shows why financial counseling is becoming a bigger part of jackpot culture.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

An electronic billborad displaying "Amber Alert".
Lotteries are working with AMBER Alerts to save children's lives

Did you know? Lottery screens are also used to disseminate AMBER Alerts.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy

Social media
Social media post lets friend steal lottery prize

This incident in China highlights how sharing lottery images can make digital ticket fraud easy.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Record Lotto.com win in Massachusetts
Massachusetts breaks record with biggest Lotto.com win to date

A record $2.5M win came from a phone, not a store, showing how digital play is reshaping lottery habits today.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Recent articles

View All
Last call for Lucky for Life and Cash4Life
Last call for Lucky for Life before it’s replaced

Draw games to be replaced by Millionaire for Life. Here’s what it means for players.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy

Play responsibly regardless of the season
Why states are urging players to rethink lottery gifts this holiday

This year’s message is louder: early exposure shapes future risks, and states want players to rethink traditions.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Japanese man hides his lottery win
How one jackpot meltdown explains a new trend in lottery planning

His lavish secret life shows why financial counseling is becoming a bigger part of jackpot culture.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Scratch-off game example
The real reason Iowa wants players excited about scratchers again

This milestone wasn’t just for show, as it hinted at perks aimed at making quick-play games more rewarding.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold