I won the $170,000 lottery jackpot after playing online for 6 years
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AFTER remembering to buy lottery tickets at the last minute, a lucky player hit the jackpot.
Russell Morgenstern, 67, has been playing the Fantasy 5 lottery game every day online for the last six years.
The Michigan jackpot winner was enjoying his evening when he realized he hadn't played yet.
"Around 6 p.m. the night of the drawing, I remembered I hadn’t purchased my tickets yet, so I logged into my account and purchased a few tickets with easy pick numbers," he told the state's lottery.
Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 pm, and tickets must be purchased by 7:08.
At eight that same night, he got an email from the lottery telling him he won.
"When I saw there was one jackpot winner for $170,129 and the ticket was purchased online, I knew I really as the winner!" he said.
Since he and his wife are retired, the unexpected windfall is extra special for them.
"We plan on remodeling a lakehouse we have. It's definitely a blessing."
Despite hitting the jackpot, Morgenstern said he's not done playing the lottery.
"I definitely plan on playing the lottery again, and I hope to make it back here again," he said.
Each Fantasy 5 play is $1, and Morgenstern said he spent about $6 on the picks that won him the prize.
Lottery winner takes home $500,000 Powerball prize after phone call – but he was forced to give up nearly half
Of his winnings, 24% was withheld for federal taxes and 4.25% for state income tax, according to the Michigan Lottery.
A WINNER'S TALE
A fellow Michigan resident had to give up almost half of his $4 million lottery prize.
The 52-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, is from Saginaw County, which is about an hour and a half away from Lansing.
"I stopped to get gas and bought two $4,000,000 Ultimate tickets while I was in the store," he told the lottery.
"I scratched the barcodes, scanned the first ticket, and got a message to file a claim. I scanned the ticket again, and when that message came up a second time, I thought the scanner was broken."
Lottery winnings: lump sum or annuity?
Players who win big on lottery tickets typically have a choice to make: lump sum or annuity?
The two payout methods can impact how much money you get from your prize.
Annuities pay out slowly in increments, often over 30 years.
Lump sums pay all at once but in a smaller amount, as taxes are withheld in one go. That means 24% of your prize goes to Uncle Sam right away. Many states tax winnings as well.
Annuities can provide winners time to set up the financial infrastructure required to take in a life-changing amount of money, but lump sums have the benefit of being taxed only once.
Inflation is also worth considering when making a choice, as payouts do not adjust with the value of a dollar. That means that you'll likely be getting less valuable money towards the end of an annuity.
Each state and game pays out prizes differently, so it’s best to check with your state’s lottery to confirm payment policies. A financial advisor can also help you weigh the pros and cons of each option.
Experts have varying opinions on whether to take the lump sum or take the annuity.
He went out to his car and decided to scratch the tickets since the scanner didn't reveal anything.
"I scratched the ticket while I was waiting. It’s hard to describe the feeling when I saw the winning amount," he said.
"I got in the car and yelled: 'We just won $4 million!'"
He chose to receive his winnings as a lump sum payment of $2.7 million.
The lucky winner said he was going to invest and buy land with the money.
Another lottery player got the best birthday present when he won $15.4 million.
Powerball lottery players were urged to check their tickets as a $50,000 prize is set to expire in days.
