News writer
Some people can play the lottery their whole lives and never win. Others can try a new game one time and hit the jackpot. Beginner's luck is real!
That was the case for a Michigan man who does play the lottery a few times a year. However, he tried his luck at Fantasy 5 for the first time ever and ended up walking away with the jackpot!
The winning ticket
The 70-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, is from Oakland County. He matched all five numbers for the Fantasy 5 game during the March 26 drawing.
The winning numbers for the March 26 drawing were 5, 19, 20, 32, and 35. The lucky winner bought his winning ticket at the Michigan Lottery website.
For matching all five of the numbers, he won the jackpot for that night, which happened to be $286,938.
The lucky player told Michigan Lottery officials:
I play the Lottery a few times a year, and this was actually my first time ever playing Fantasy 5. The day after the drawing, I saw an email that I'd won a prize, but I assumed it was some sort of scam email. I got on the Michigan Lottery website and looked at the drawing results. When I saw the jackpot was won online, I knew it must be real!
Claiming his big prize
He may have won on the March 26 drawing, but the lucky player recently claimed his winnings. He visited the Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize.
It is the first time a Fantasy 5 player told Lottery officials he plans on remodeling his home with the winnings.
Fantasy 5 - how does it work?
Fantasy 5 is a daily draw game from the Michigan Lottery. Draws are held every day at 7:29 p.m. ET.
To play, you select five numbers between 1 and 39, or you can do the Quick Pick option and let the computer generate numbers for you. Each play costs $1, and players who purchase the ticket in-store may add on the Double Play or EZ Match option for $1 each.
The Double Play option will enter your numbers in the second Fantasy 5 draw, where you could win up to $110,000. The EZ Match option gives players the chance to win prizes instantly. If any of your Fantasy 5 numbers match the EZ Match number printed on your ticket, then you win the prize shown.
The odds of winning the jackpot, which starts at $100,000, are 1 in 575,757, and if you do win the jackpot, there are no payment options available. The Michigan Lottery will only pay a one-time cash payment.
The overall odds of winning any prize in Fantasy 5 are 1 in 9, with the main Fantasy 5 and Double Play draw having four prize categories each and the EZ Match option offering 11 more prize categories.
For the main Fantasy 5 draw, the prizes range from $1 for matching two numbers up to the jackpot for matching all five numbers. For the Double Play draw, the prizes range from $2 for matching two numbers up to $110,000 for matching all five numbers. The EZ Match prizes range from $2 up to $500.
Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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