MI Woman Turns Losing Scratch-Off Tickets Into $1M Winner

WESTLAND, MI — A metro Detroit woman turned a few losing scratch-off tickets into a $1 million grand prize.

Valerie Williams, 65, of Westland, won the grand prize during the Michigan Lottery’s $1,000,000 Electric Giveaway live event, which took place at Comerica Park on Sept. 19.

Williams was one of five finalists selected in a random drawing to participate in the event. She entered the drawing by scanning her non-winning Electric Family tickets on the Michigan Lottery mobile app.

"I was scanning my Electric tickets on the Michigan Lottery app to check them, but it wasn’t until a few days later that I realized I earned entries into a second chance giveaway," Williams said. "When I saw an incoming call from the Michigan Lottery one day, I was hesitant to answer because I assumed it was a scam, but I ended up answering to see what it was about. I was shocked to find out that I was chosen as a contestant in the $1,000,000 Electric Giveaway!"

The giveaway took place between innings of the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 19. Each contestant was assigned a color and a wheel was spun. The arrow landed on green, making Williams the big winner.

"I was nervous and excited as the wheel was spinning and couldn’t believe it when it made one last click and landed on my color," Williams said. "All I kept thinking to myself was: ‘No way!’ It was a great feeling and I’m still in shock."

Williams plans to save her winnings for now and eventually take a vacation.

"I haven’t made any big plans with the money yet because I’m still trying to get things figured out," Williams said. "Eventually, me and my husband plan to use some of the winnings to go on vacation."