Michigan man finds lottery ticket in wallet after running short of cash to buy soda, you won't believe how much he won

A routine stop at a convenience store turned into an unforgettable moment for a 54-year-old man in Michigan, US. Michael Vander Lugt had gone to buy a soft drink when he realised he did not have enough cash. Instead of using his card, he handed the cashier a few old Powerball tickets from his wallet. One of them turned out to be worth $1 million. The surprising discovery came nearly two months after he bought the winning ticket, according to the Michigan Lottery.

How did Michigan man discover the $1 million lottery win?

Vander Lugt, who lives in Wyoming, Michigan, bought the Powerball ticket for the August 8 drawing at Big Top Market. He kept it in his wallet with other lottery tickets and did not check the results. The ticket remained there for nearly two months. Then, during his visit to the store, he decided to hand over a few tickets he believed had won small prizes.

“I recently stopped at the party store to get a pop but realised when checking out that I didn't have enough cash on me,” Vander Lugt told Michigan Lottery officials. “Rather than use my card, I handed the cashier a few Powerball tickets from my wallet that I knew I had won at least a few bucks on.” The cashier scanned the tickets and found that one came back with a message asking him to file a claim at the lottery office.


Vander Lugt then checked the winning numbers in his car. He realised that the ticket had matched all five white balls drawn on August 8: 05, 09, 35, 54 and 63. “I recognised the numbers as soon as I saw them and started freaking out!” he said. “I can’t believe I had this ticket in my wallet for nearly two months not knowing it was worth $1 million.”

What will he do with the lottery winnings?

Vander Lugt has since claimed his $1 million prize at Michigan Lottery headquarters. He said he plans to use the money to pay off his mortgage and invest the remaining amount. The winning ticket was purchased at Big Top Market in Wyoming, Michigan. The lottery confirmed that it matched the five white balls in the August 8 Powerball drawing.

Vander Lugt’s story has drawn attention because the winning ticket was not discovered through a planned check of lottery results. It was found while he was trying to pay for a drink. Lottery officials encourage players to check their tickets and keep them secure. While this story ended with a million-dollar prize, not every ticket wins—and the odds of matching the five white Powerball numbers are about 1 in 11.7 million.