‘Are You the Winner?’ Text Leads Tuscola County Woman to $3.98M Jackpot

A Tuscola County woman says she might not have realized she’d won a massive $3.98 million jackpot if it weren’t for a simple text message from a family member asking a surprising question: “Are you the winner?”

How She Found Out About the Jackpot

The lucky player tells the Michigan Lottery that she's been playing Lotto 47 for years but thought the odds of being one of the Michigan Lottery's big winners were slim.

“My husband and I have been playing Lotto 47 every week for years,” the 63-year-old said. “The day after the drawing, we got a text from a family member that said a Lotto 47 jackpot winning ticket was sold at Bryan’s Market and asked if we were the big winners. Bryan’s Market is where we happened to buy our tickets that week, but we thought the odds that we were actually the big winners were slim."

 

Scanning Tickets With the Michigan Lottery App

The player, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said she was stunned when she scanned a big winner on her phone.

“I grabbed several Lotto 47 tickets out of my wallet and started scanning them on the Michigan Lottery app. When I was about halfway through the pile, the screen lit up and $3.98 million came up on the scanner. I was in complete shock. It’s the kind of feeling that makes you want to break down and cry!”

 

Plans for the Winnings

The lucky player opted for a lump-sum payment of $2.7 million and says she plans to use her winnings to pay bills and live comfortably.