Lottery wins so shocking players thought they were being pranked

They thought they were being punked — until the cash was real. One man checked his lottery account and thought someone was messing with him. A trio in another state suspected they'd been handed a fake ticket. But what started as suspicion turned into serious payday moments.

First “prank” — Lucky for Life win

A Detroit man signed into his Michigan Lottery account and thought he was being pranked. Why? It showed that he had a prize pending of $25,000 a year for life from the Lucky for Life multi-state draw game.

Even though Micale Garland bought the lottery ticket on the Michigan Lottery website, he still didn't think it was true. It definitely was, though, as he matched all five of the winning white balls drawn on April 28 to win the second-tier prize.

The winning white ball numbers for that draw were 16, 19, 20, 33, and 40, and the Lucky Ball number was 11. Had Garland matched the Lucky Ball also, he would have won the top prize of $1,000 a day for life.

Phone call seals the deal

Garland didn't believe it when he logged into his online account. He stated:

I have been playing Lucky For Life for a few years, and I always buy my tickets online. When I saw the email from the lottery about claiming a prize, I logged into my account and thought I was being pranked when I saw my account balance. It wasn't until I called the lottery and confirmed the prize with them that I believed I'd really won. It still feels like I'm living in a dream!

The lucky Detroit man finally made his way to the lottery headquarters to claim his prize. For this prize, Garland could have taken annuity payments of $25,000 for 20 years or life, whichever is greater, or a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000.

Garland chose the lump sum payment and walked out with his winnings in hand. With that money, he told lottery officials he plans on taking a trip and then saving the rest.

Second “prank” — breaking the bank in Missouri

A trio walked into a Missouri gas station and walked out, thinking they were being pranked. It turns out that it was just luck on their side after winning the top prize in an instant ticket game.

The trio was at Gas Mart, located at 3751 S. Jefferson Ave. in St. Louis, when the clerk made an error that turned out in their favor. One of the winners told lottery officials:

“I had actually asked for a different ticket, and the clerk accidentally gave me this one. I thought it was a fake ticket at first!”

The ticket they received was a “Break the Bank” scratcher. After scanning the ticket using her Missouri Lottery app, the woman realized the ticket was real, and they had won the top prize in that game of $100,000. She told lottery officials:

When the screen showed 'Claim your prize at a Missouri Lottery Office,' I knew it was real!

“Break the Bank” was released on April 28 and while this was the first top prize claimed in the game, players have won over $1.8 million so far playing the $5 game. That means there is still over $16.6 million in prizes remaining unclaimed, including five more top prizes of $100,000 and six $20,000 prizes.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.