OTSEGO COUNTY, Mich. — A Gaylord-area woman is in disbelief after winning $1 million playing Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Times 20 game after her favorite game was sold out.
67-year-old Bonnie Hitchings, of Johannesburg, bought her winning ticket at a Shell gas station in Gaylord.
“I stopped at the gas station to buy a few Daily 4 tickets,” said Hitchings. “When I was checking out, I asked for the Win $100, $200 or $500 ticket, but they were sold out, so I got a Cashword Times 20 ticket instead. I scratched the barcode and scanned the ticket three times."
Hitchings said she thought the store's scanner was broken after receiving the message to file a claim at the lottery office. She then scanned the ticket on the Michigan Lottery app.
“When I scanned the ticket, confetti came up on the screen with a message saying I won $1 million. I went back into the store to show the worker and everyone in the store was so excited. Everywhere I go lately I have people stopping to congratulate me. It’s a crazy and exciting feeling!”
Hitchings recently visited the lottery headquarters to claim her prize, which she received in a lump sum payment of about $634,000. With her winnings, she plans to travel to Alaska and invest the remainder.
Cashword Times 20 is $20 per play. Players have the chance to win from $20 up to $1 million from the instant game.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.
