Michigan Woman Realizes She's Won $5M In Lotto On Facebook

MICHIGAN — A Grand Rapids woman realized she’d won a $5 million Lotto 47 jackpot prize while scrolling through Facebook the night after the drawing.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched all six Lotto 47 numbers drawn Nov. 20: 17-18-24-26-35-40. She had bought the winning ticket at the D & W Fresh Market at 6425 28th St. Southeast in Grand Rapids.

“I usually only buy Lotto 47 tickets when the jackpot gets over $10 million,” she said. “When I was at the store, I saw the jackpot was only at $5 million, but I decided to get a ticket anyway.

“The night after the drawing, I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a news station had posted that someone in Kent County won the big jackpot,” the player said. “I started reading the article and realized it was won at the same store where I’d purchased my ticket. I quickly pulled my ticket out to check my numbers and realized I was the big winner! I instantly felt numb.”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of about $3.2 million, rather than 30 annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to pay off debt, take a few trips and save the remainder.

“Winning a prize like this feels incredible,” she said.