A newlywed groom has won a USD 1 million jackpot on the lottery a day after getting hitched.
The 57-year-old man from Livingston County in the US state of Michigan, who chose to remain anonymous, bought the winning Diamonds and Pearls instant ticket a day after his wedding.
He reportedly made the purchase at the E-Z Mart, located at 2403 West Houghton Lake Drive in the area of Prudenville, and handed it over to his wife.
The player said in a statement obtained by Newsflash from Michigan Lottery: “I bought the ticket the day after my wedding and gave it to my wife to scratch.
“When she revealed the ‘USD 1 million [GBP 813,660]’ prize amount, we were in disbelief.
“We kept reading the instructions over and over again to make sure we really won. It was an exciting couple of days for us!”
Upon collecting the prize at lottery headquarters, the 57-year-old winner could choose between receiving the prize as a lump-sum, or in annuity payments for the full amount.
He chose the one-off payment and went home with USD 693,000 (GBP 564,223) after state and federal taxes, and revealed he plans to invest the winnings.
Michigan Lottery representatives said: “Players have won more than USD 14 million [GBP 11.4 million] playing Diamonds and Pearls, which launched in August.
“Each USD 10 [GBP 8] ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from USD 10 [GBP 8] up to USD 1 million [GBP 813,660].
“More than USD 37 million [GBP 30 million] in prizes remain, including two USD 1 million [GBP 813,660] top prizes and 18 USD 2,000 [GBP 1,629] prizes.
“In 2022, Lottery players won more than USD 1.7 billion [GBP 1.4 billion] playing instant games.
“Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the 10,500 retailers across the state.”
