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Lottery scratch off tickets for sale

Michigan man wins $500K lottery prize after favorite ticket sells out

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1 min read
July 14, 2025

CARO, Mich. – A Tuscola County man’s backup lottery ticket turned out to be a half-million-dollar winner after his first choice was sold out at a Caro gas station.

The 57-year-old winner told Michigan Lottery officials he originally intended to buy a Triple Red 777s scratch-off at the Speedway on West Caro Road, but when the game was unavailable, he chose a Detroit Tigers-themed ticket instead.

“I stopped at the gas station to buy a Triple Red 777s ticket, but they were sold out, so I told the cashier to give me a Detroit Tigers ticket instead,” he said.

That alternate choice landed him a $500,000 top prize.

“It was hard to believe when I saw I’d won $500,000, but after looking the ticket over several times, I told myself it must be real,” he said.

He brought the ticket back into the store for confirmation.

“I signed the ticket and took it back into the store to have the cashier check it. After she scanned it, she handed it back and said: ‘Looks like you have to go to Lansing for this one!’ Winning $500,000 is an answered prayer and still hasn’t fully sunk in.”

The man said he plans to use the money to help his family and make investments.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

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Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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