Michigan Man Buries Winning $1M Lottery Ticket in His Yard

A Michigan man who won $1 million on an instant lottery ticket put the ticket in a mason jar and buried it in his yard. This gives new meaning to the phrase 'buried treasure.'

Michigan Man Wins $1 Million on a Scratch-Off Ticket

The Van Buren County man says he occasionally plays the Michigan Lottery's Major Cashword scratch-off game, but this purchase was a "total fluke."

"I asked the cashier for a different game, and she mistakenly handed me this Major Cashword ticket instead," the player said.

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The player, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said the cashier offered to correct the mistake, but he decided he would just keep the Major Crossword ticket.

Michigan Lottery Player Buries His Winning Ticket in His Yard

The man went on to say that he waited until the next morning to scratch the ticket's barcode and had his wife scan the ticket with the lottery app on her phone.

"When $1 million came up on the screen, I felt like I couldn’t breathe! I thought it was some sort of prank at first," he said.

The player wanted to keep the ticket safe, and said he was 'paranoid' about keeping it in the house.

"Once I realized it was real, I put the ticket in a jar and buried it in the yard because I was so paranoid something would happen to it if I kept it in the house!" he said.

Michigan Lottery Player Has Big Plans

The 45-year-old player dug up the ticket from his yard and cashed it in for $1 million. He plans to use the money to pay off his house and save for retirement.