A Muskegon County man thought he won $100, only to find out he had actually won $300,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Fire & Ice Cashword instant game!

The lucky 64-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the Northshore E-Z Mart, located at 1385 Holton Road in North Muskegon.

“I play the Cashword games often,” said the player. “When I scratched this ticket off, I thought I won $100, but I scanned it to be sure. When a message to file a claim at the Lottery office came up, I thought: ‘What is going on? It’s only a $100 winner!’ I handed my ticket to the clerk and a few moments later she said: ‘You won the jackpot!’

“Later that day, I gave the ticket to my son and said: ‘Why don’t you take a look at this?’ He scanned it on his Lottery app and was stunned when $300,000 came up on the screen. It was so exciting to share the news with my family!”

The lucky player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his big prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay off his truck, pay bills, and save.

“Winning $300,000 still doesn’t feel real! This prize is going to allow me to live comfortably,” the player said.

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 four $10,000 prizes and 28 $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.