Lottery thief caught on camera grabbing thousands in scratchers

A business owner in Michigan is hoping surveillance footage will help police find the suspect accused of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of Michigan Lottery tickets during a daytime break-in.

The incident

Media reports state the surveillance cameras captured a man breaking into Frank’s Chicken in Sterling Heights on Sunday, June 14, 2026. The suspect allegedly made off with multiple strips of scratch-off lottery tickets.

The store owner told 7 News Detroit that he estimates the stolen tickets could have a value between $5,000 and $10,000.

This unusual theft took place around 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. The owner was notified at that time that someone had broken into the store. 

The owner reviewed the security cameras and found out that the suspect had allegedly gained entry by breaking off the store’s door handle before entering the building.

Once inside, the suspect didn’t go after the cash registers or other merchandise. Instead, he was focused on the lottery tickets.

Video of the incident shows the individual grabbing the scratch-off tickets before leaving the scene. The owner said he had never seen the suspect before and that the store had a break-in like this before.

The owner also let police know that the suspect arrived at the store in a black 2024 Chevy Blazer. They initially parked across the street before approaching the store.

Police are currently investigating the incident.

What happens to stolen lottery tickets?

Thieves think that scratch-off tickets are an easy target. However, cashing in those stolen lottery tickets is often much harder than it appears.

Lottery officials are able to deactivate an entire pack of tickets once they are reported stolen. Lottery retailers also maintain records showing which ticket books were assigned to their locations. This makes it possible to identify tickets linked to a theft.

In other lottery theft cases around the country, suspects have been caught after they tried redeeming winning tickets at different stores. Surveillance footage, redemption records, and retailer tracking systems can all help investigators connect stolen tickets to a specific crime.

What does this mean? A thief who successfully steals a large number of instant tickets may still face challenges collecting any prizes they scratch off.

The Michigan Lottery hasn’t publicly stated whether or not any of the stolen tickets from the Sterling Heights burglary have been deactivated.

This ticket isn’t deactivated

A Wayne County man didn’t have to worry about his winning lottery ticket being deactivated when he made his claim. He bought his ticket fair and square right before the store was closing.

The $5 ticket, Emerald 7’s, turned out to be a very good purchase. The man hit the top prize, winning $500,000.

He told lottery officials, “When one came back with a message to file a claim, the worker told me I must have won big, so I got out my phone and scanned it using the Michigan Lottery app. As soon as I scanned it, she asked what was wrong because of the look on my face, so I told her I’d won $50,000. I looked down at my phone again, and that’s when I realized it actually said $500,000! I had to go sit in my car and try to calm down because I was so excited and worked up that I couldn’t drive home. It was crazy!”

The lucky winner purchased the winning ticket from Kroger, located at 39950 West 14 Mile Road in Commerce Township. He recently visited lottery headquarters to claim his prize, which he plans on using to pay bills and save the remainder.

The player added, “Winning $500,000 is a huge relief. I’m going to pay off every single bill I have and then decide what to do with the rest later.”

Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.