A resident of St. Clair County, Michigan, experienced a stroke of luck after altering his lottery number-picking strategy, leading to a $500,000 win in the Club Keno game, as reported by the Michigan Lottery.
The 64-year-old winner, who opted to keep his identity private, secured the top prize by matching eight numbers. The winning ticket was purchased at SD Liquor in Chesterfield on January 19. The fortunate winner shared his lottery approach, stating, “I play Club Keno often, but I just started playing this new set of Club Keno numbers a few months ago.” He recounted the moment of realization, saying, “I scanned my ticket on the Lottery app when all the drawings were done. At first, I thought I’d won $500, but after a few seconds, I realized it said $500,000, and I couldn’t believe it. Winning sure feels good!”
The winner wasted no time and visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters on Friday to claim his $500,000 prize. He disclosed his plans for the windfall, mentioning that he intends to purchase a new car and save the remainder.
Club Keno is a draw game offered by the Michigan Lottery, providing players with an opportunity to win up to $2 million. Players can choose the number of spots (numbers) they want to play per draw, ranging from one to ten spots. The prize amount varies based on the number of spots selected.
The odds of winning Club Keno depend on the number of spots a player aims to match. For example, in the 10 Spot Game, the odds of matching all 10 numbers are one in 8.9 million. When opting for The Jack add-on, the odds of winning Club Keno and matching eight numbers are one in 230,115.
Lottery tickets can be purchased in person at various locations such as gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and some airport terminals. Alternatively, in certain U.S. states and territories, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C., and West Virginia, tickets can be ordered online through Jackpocket. Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, allowing users to pick lottery games and numbers, place orders, view tickets, and collect winnings using a phone or computer.
The fortunate winner’s story serves as a reminder that sometimes a change in strategy can lead to unexpected and substantial rewards in the world of lottery games.