$10 lottery win leads Michigan man to $500,000 jackpot

Jan. 22 (UPI) -- A Michigan man who won $10 from a scratch-off lottery ticket used his winnings to buy another ticket that earned him $500,000.

The 77-year-old St. Joseph County man told Michigan Lottery officials his good luck started with a stop at Jit Food and Gas on North Washington Street in Constantine.

"My son and I stopped at the gas station, and I bought each of us a $5 ticket," the player recalled. "When we scratched them, I had a $10 winner, so I went back in and bought two more."

The man said a $500,000 Winter Ice ticket caught his eye.

"My son likes the Wild Time game, so I got him one of those and I got myself a new $500,000 Winter Ice ticket after the clerk said people had been doing pretty well on it. When we scratched the tickets off, I said to my son: 'What would you say if I told you I'd won $500,000?' He replied: 'That you're full of it!' That's when I handed him the ticket and we both started screaming!"

The winner said he plans to use his prize money to buy a new house.