Michigan man who always plays same numbers wins $18.4M lottery jackpot

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A man's decision to repeatedly play the same set of numbers paid off when he won an $18.41 million jackpot from the Michigan Lottery.

The player, who remained anonymous, won the big prize by matching all six Lotto 47 numbers drawn July 31: 03-05-10-20-28-31.

He bought the winning ticket at the Family E-Z Mart in Prudenville.

"I have been playing this set of numbers since 1991 and have rarely missed a drawing," the player told lottery officials. "I've thought several times about trying a new set of numbers, but decided each time to keep playing this one."

He added: "I checked my numbers before I went to bed the night of the drawing. When I recognized the set of numbers, I checked my ticket over at least a dozen times. I was shocked!"

The 61-year-old player visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum cash payment of about $11.7 million.

He said he plans to share his winnings with his family, donate to charity and save the rest.

"It still hasn't sunk in that I won," he said. "I am so glad I decided to stick with this set of numbers."