A Michigan man is Marc Leclerc$7.19 million richer after state lottery officials said he won the largest prize ever on a ticket purchased through the state lottery's website.
“This record-setting Lotto 47 jackpot win comes with an incredible story,” Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli announced in a press release Monday, just one day after Father's Day.
The 38-year-old man, who chose not to be identified, said he won the game at michiganlottery.com thanks to advice from his dad.
“I have been playing Lotto 47 for a long time, and would always switch up my numbers,” the winner said in the release. “One day, my dad told me I should pick a set of numbers and stick with them, so that’s what I did. I purchased an online subscription and have been playing the same set of numbers for a few years."
The Lotto 47 winner matched all six numbers: 22-24-26-40-41-44 and the jackpot in the May 22 drawing.
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“I saw an email from the Lottery saying I’d won a prize, so I logged into my Lottery account, and that’s when I saw $7.19 million pending. I was in total shock and instantly thought how my dad had been right," the winner said.
The lucky player recently visited the state's lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim his prize, according to the release, and elected to receive the money as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $4.9 million, rather than an annuity offer.
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The previous record for the largest prize won online was $5.75 million, lottery officials said, won in back-to-back months in February and March of 2021 by two Lucky For Life players.
The $7.19 million winner said he plans to save funds for his children for college and invest the money.
Concerned about someone with a gambling problem? Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER. Operated by the National Council on Problem Gambling, the network includes 27 contact centers which cover all 50 states and the U.S. territories.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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