Morning Ritual Turns to Riches: Alpena Man Wins $500K on Instant Game

A daily routine led to an unforgettable payday for one Alpena County man, who won a staggering $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s 50X Wild Time instant game.

The anonymous winner shared his tradition of starting each day with a newspaper, coffee, and a single lottery ticket. But this time, the scratch-off revealed something far more than routine.

“All I could think was, ‘Well, that’s weird,’ when I saw the prize amount,” he said.

He immediately told his wife, and the couple felt a wave of relief, knowing this prize would ease their financial burdens.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Alpena Shell gas station located at 1017 Chisholm Street. He recently claimed the prize at Lottery headquarters and plans to use the money to pay off bills and build savings.

Since launching in February 2024, the $10 50X Wild Time game has paid out more than $60 million in prizes. Players can still win big, with over $31 million in prizes remaining—including two more $500,000 top prizes, 66 prizes of $10,000, and 116 prizes worth $1,000.

In total, Michigan players collected nearly $1.8 billion from instant games in 2024 alone.

Tickets are available at licensed retailers statewide—proving once again that life-changing luck could be just one scratch away.