Scratch-off lotto player wins $1M after unlucky sap leaves it on store counter

Finders, keepers.

A 33‑year‑old Michigan resident twice slipped into a Detroit corner shop, one hand searching for a lost ticket, the other—unaware of the box of coins it’d become. The leftover scratch‑off, a $10 “Blazing Suits” instant game, slipped past a customer steady on the sidelines. The man picked it up, sliced it open, and instantly saw the biggest prize the state’s lottery had issued: a $1 million jackpot.

He has chosen to stay off the radar. In a statement released by the Michigan Lottery, the winner described his disbelief: “I scratched the ticket off and couldn’t believe it when I saw it was a $1 million winner. I never would have thought I’d win such a large lottery prize, so it’s truly a blessing.” He opted for an upfront lump sum of roughly $693,000 rather than the annual installments.

Michigan’s lottery, like many state programs, funnels most of its proceeds into public schools. Last year the system contributed in excess of $1 billion to educational aid.

The lucky ticket, however, has introduced a new dilemma. Another customer, who had turned the ticket down as a $10 gamble, has found himself under a municipal spotlight. The winner joked that “Winning is a great feeling, but it’s also a lot of pressure because your mind starts thinking of all the different things you can do with this amount of money.” He has yet to reveal the identity of the person who declined to purchase the ticket that earned him a top prize.

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