A Lapeer County woman is still trying to wrap her head around winning $300,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Fire & Ice Cashword instant game.

The lucky 54-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at Murphy USA, located at 579 East Genesee Street in Lapeer.

“I play Cashword a lot, and I always scan the tickets at the store to double check them,” said the player. “I couldn’t figure out why this Fire & Ice Cashword ticket kept saying to file a claim when I scanned it, so I gave it to the cashier to check thinking the machine was broken.

“The cashier got the same message, so I looked the ticket over again and that’s when I realized I’d won $300,000! I just kept thinking: ‘This can’t be real.’ I showed my mom, and she couldn’t believe it either!”

The lucky player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim her big prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay off her home and pay bills.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around winning $300,000! It feels so surreal,” said the player.

Players have won more than $20 million playing Fire & Ice Cashword, which launched in August 2023. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $13 million in prizes remain, including one $300,000 top prize, four $10,000 prizes, and 29 $2,000 prizes.

In 2023, Lottery players won nearly $1.8 billion playing instant games.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the 10,500 retailers across the state.