- A near-miss in the state lottery didn't deter a Michigan man.
- He won $800,000 the day after being off by a single number.
- He initially thought it was a 'scam,' but plans to invest his winnings.
Persistence paid off in droves for a Michigan man who nearly missed the lottery jackpot before cashing in big.
The 53-year-old Macomb County resident, who declined to disclose his name to the Michigan Lottery, botched the Fantasy 5 jackpot by one number in late July.
"I was excited to win $100 but bummed that I was one number off a large jackpot prize," the man told the state's lottery authority.
He said he always buys Fantasy 5 tickets when the jackpot exceeds $250,000. And when he tried the next day, on July 27 — purchasing two tickets online — he was stunned to win the grand prize, to the tune of $795,905.
"When I logged in and saw $795,905 pending, my first thought was that it was a scam," he said. He's now claimed his prize and plans to invest it, according to the Michigan Lottery.
For prizes larger than $5,000, the Michigan Lottery says it's required to withhold 24% for federal taxes and 4.25% for state taxes — which would amount to roughly $224,843.
All profits from lottery sales go to the state's School Aid Fund, benefiting its public education system.
Lore of lottery players missing out by a single number can be devastating. In October, for instance, a Powerball player changed his number at the last minute, missing out on a $1.5 billion prize. He still won $1 million.