WAYNE COUNTY, MI—A Wayne County man’s decision to follow his father’s advice led to winning the largest prize ever on MichiganLottery.com, a staggering $7.19 million Lotto 47 jackpot. The 38-year-old, who has chosen to remain anonymous, secured the jackpot with the numbers 22-24-26-40-41-44 in the May 22 drawing. He purchased his winning ticket online after sticking with a consistent set of numbers, as suggested by his father.
“I have been playing Lotto 47 for a long time, and would always switch up my numbers,” the player shared. “One day, my dad told me I should pick a set of numbers and stick with them, so that’s what I did. I purchased an online subscription and have been playing the same set of numbers for a few years.”
Upon receiving an email notification from the lottery, the winner checked his account and saw the $7.19 million prize pending. “I was in total shock and instantly thought how my dad had been right!” he exclaimed. Opting for a lump sum payment, he received about $4.9 million and plans to invest part of his winnings and allocate funds for his children’s college education.
Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli highlighted the broader impact of the win, saying, “This record-setting Lotto 47 jackpot win comes with an incredible story. It’s not just the college funds of the winner’s children that will benefit from Lottery dollars. All of Michigan Lottery’s proceeds go to support public education programs in Michigan, and we are on track for a sixth consecutive contribution of more than $1 billion.”
This monumental win surpasses the previous online record of $5.75 million, which was set by two Lucky For Life players in 2021. The Lotto 47 winner expressed his amazement at the win, remarking, “Winning feels surreal. It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m a millionaire!”