Family lottery club recycled cans to pay for Mega Millions tickets. It paid off big

A lottery club in Michigan used spare change from recycling cans to buy a winning Mega Millions ticket.

The three-member Winfield lottery club matched five numbers in the May 17 Mega Millions drawing, according to a Sept. 16 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

“We are family members who have been playing the Lottery together for more than 30 years,” one club member told lottery officials. “Whenever we take back bottles and cans, we save the money, and when we have enough, we purchase lottery tickets.”

The club member said they realized they hadn’t checked their tickets after the drawing.

“So I pulled up the winning numbers and looked the ticket over,” the club member said. “When all the numbers matched except the Mega Ball, I thought: ‘I’m not seeing this right.’ I had my husband look the ticket over and once he confirmed what I was seeing, I called the other club member to tell her the big news. We both felt like we were going to be sick from being so nervous.”

The club members are still in shock.

“Everyone in our club agrees that winning is a huge blessing, and it still hasn’t fully sunk in for the club members yet,” the club’s representative, Kenneth Baran, said in the release.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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