Choosing a different ticket led to a Kent County woman winning a $1 million prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Cherry instant game.

“The store didn’t have the game I wanted to buy, so I decided to try my luck on the Wild Cherry game,” said the lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous. “I scratched the bar code and scanned the ticket. When I read the message that I needed to file a claim I thought I had won $10,000.

“I gave the ticket back to the clerk and had her check it. She helped me scratch the rest of it off, and when she saw I had hit $1 million, she screamed: ‘She just won $1 million!’”

“Never knowing when you might find a winning ticket is part of what makes playing instant games fun,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Winning $1 million, especially on a game you are playing for the first time, is an incredibly exciting way to win!”

The lucky player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her big prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $693,000, rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to buy a new home and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $25 million playing Wild Cherry which launched in September 2024. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million. More than $27 million in prizes remain, including one $1 million top prize, 14 $10,000 prizes, and 119 $2,000 prizes.

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

Lottery instant games may be purchased at retailers across the state.