Michigan: Lottery Club Turns Spare Change Into $1M Mega Millions Prize

There are many environmental, economic and community benefits when it comes to recycling. But in one peculiar case from Michigan, a lottery club turned spare change from recycled bottles and cans into a whopping $1 million Mega Millions prize.

The Club Sees the Winning as a Huge Blessing
The lottery club from Winfield consists of three members. Each of the members collects bottles and cans for recycling and with the spare change, they buy tickets for lottery games. The club has a rich history with its members playing the lottery for more than three decades.

Back in May, the lottery club purchased tickets for one of the Mega Millions drawings. Surprisingly, the club matched five white balls from the Mega Millions drawing on May 17, securing a $1 million prize. The lottery club matched successfully the winning numbers 8, 17, 40, 60 and 70.

Kenneth Baran, a representative of the lottery club, recently spoke to Michigan Lottery officials. “Everyone in our club agrees that winning is a huge blessing, and it still hasn’t fully sunk in for the club members yet,” he revealed.

Lottery Tickets Are Purchased with Change Left from Recycling
In the words of one member, the club consists of family members who enjoy lottery games and have been playing for more than 30 years. “Whenever we take back bottles and cans, we save the money, and when we have enough, we purchase lottery tickets,” the club member explained.

Earlier this week, the lottery club visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim the $1 million prize. When asked by Lottery officials what the members plan to do with the windfall, they admitted to intending to invest the winnings.

Remembering the day of the drawing, one member admitted that she forgot to check the Mega Millions ticket. “When all the numbers matched except the Mega Ball, I thought: ‘I’m not seeing this right.’ I had my husband look the ticket over and once he confirmed what I was seeing I called the other club member to tell her the big news,” explained one member of the club.

Earlier this month, an incredibly lucky player in Texas won the mind-blowing Mega Millions jackpot. The fortunate winner matched all winning numbers for a staggering $800 million payday. This marked the third grand prize from Mega Millions for the year and the seventh-largest jackpot in the history of the game.