Macomb County man wins nearly $1 million, sets new record for Michigan Lottery's Fantasy 5 game

(WWJ) — A Macomb County man has won nearly $1 million, setting a new Michigan Lottery record for the largest Fantasy 5 prize since the game was introduced 20 years ago.

The 56-year-old man, who chose to remain anonymous, won the $963,040 jackpot in the June 26 Fantasy 5 drawing, lottery officials announced Wednesday.

He matched all five numbers — 04-05-08-22-38 — on a ticket he bought from Smoker’s Express on Seaton Drive in New Baltimore.

“I play Fantasy 5 every single day,” the man said, per a Michigan Lottery press release. “The day after the drawing, I was at work and heard a big Fantasy 5 jackpot was won, so I got on MichiganLottery.com to see where it was sold.”

When he found out the winning ticket was sold at Smoker’s Express, he says he called his wife to tell her “my store sold a big winner.” But he didn’t have his ticket with him at work.

“That night, my wife and I looked the ticket over together, and that’s when I found out I was the big winner! I didn’t know how to feel at first because I didn’t believe it was real,” he said. “Now that it’s finally sunk in, it feels great!”

The man recently visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim his big prize. With his winnings, he says he plans to purchase a new vehicle, a new home, and a cottage.

The previous Fantasy 5 jackpot record was $924,880, won on Jan. 17, 2020, by a single ticket purchased online at MichiganLottery.com .

Each Fantasy 5 play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, EZmatch may be added to a Fantasy 5 ticket, giving players a chance to win up to $500 instantly. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Fantasy 5 ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $110,000 in the nightly Double Play drawing.

Players may win prizes in the regular nightly drawing, the Double Play drawing, or both. Fantasy 5 players select five numbers from one to 39. Players who match all five Fantasy 5 numbers drawn win a jackpot that starts at $100,000.

Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at a retailer or online at MichiganLottery.com until 7:08 p.m. on the day of the drawing.

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