19-Year-Old Oakland County Woman Wins $500K On Scratch-Off Lottery Ticket

LANSING (WWJ) - A 19-year-old  Oakland County woman has big plans for her big Michigan Lottery prize.

The lucky winner, who chose to remain anonymous, says she can now afford a college education after scratching off a ticket worth $500,000.

"The first thing I thought of after I won was: 'Now I can afford to go to Michigan State University!' It's so great to win and know I don't have to worry about how I'm going to pay for college," she told Lottery officials.

The player bought the winning "Bring on the Bens" instant game ticket at 7-Eleven store, located at 22069 Farmington Road in Farmington Hills.

"When I scratched the ticket off, I thought I'd won $5,000," said the player. "My mom had to convince me it was really $500,000!

In addition to paying for her college education, she plans to use her winnings to buy her family a new home and send her brother on a school trip to Disneyland.

She visited Lottery headquarters in Lansing on Monday to claim her prize.

Players have won more than $10 million playing Bring on the Bens, which launched in September 2017. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. The Lottery says more than $11 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 top prizes and 57 $1,000 prizes.

In 2016, Lottery players won nearly $817 million playing instant games.

About 97 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets benefits the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid.