A Michigan woman recently got the shock of her life when she opened her lottery app and saw that she had won $3 million, according to the Michigan Lottery.
Reagan Blanton of Canton in suburban Detroit matched the five white balls in the Oct. 6 Mega Millions drawing and won $3 million, the lottery said Wednesday. Blanton bought her winning ticket online from the Michigan Lottery website.
"I was on vacation and saw the Mega Millions jackpot was getting up there, so I made a mental note to purchase a ticket online when I got home," Blanton told the Michigan Lottery. "A few days after the drawing, I remembered I hadn't checked my ticket, so I logged in to my lottery account to see if I won anything."
When she opened the app on her phone, she told the lottery that she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw she had a $3 million win pending.
"I showed my husband, and he didn't believe it was real either, so I called the lottery to double-check," Blanton told the Michigan Lottery. "When the lottery employee confirmed I really did win, I was in shock!"
Imagine her surprise if she had also guessed the Mega Ball correctly. If she had, she would have won a massive $360 million.
The winning numbers were 12, 24, 46, 57, and 66, and the Mega Ball was 22. Blanton correctly guessed the first five numbers and won a prize of $1 million. Since the Megaplier was 3x, her award was increased to $3 million.
Blanton recently claimed her prize at lottery headquarters and said that she plans to invest her winnings.
When purchasing a Mega Millions ticket, you have the opportunity to select six numbers. The first five will be chosen from a range of 1 to 70 for the white balls, and the last number will be chosen from 1 to 25 for the coveted golden Mega Ball. For those who find it daunting to pick their own numbers, the option to select Easy Pick or Quick Pick is available, which will generate the numbers for your ticket at random.
When playing in certain states, you can choose to add a Megaplier for an additional dollar. This decision could potentially increase your non-jackpot winnings by a factor of two, three, four or even five times.
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.