Lottery winner uses $50 prize to buy $4 million ticket

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A Michigan man won a $50 lottery prize and used it to buy a scratch-off ticket that earned him a $4 million jackpot -- but he needed some convincing to believe it was real.

The 54-year-old Kent County man told Michigan Lottery officials he was at the Citgo gas station on Plainfield Avenue in Grand Rapids when he decided to use his lottery winnings to play again.

"I won $50 on an instant game, and wanted to reinvest my winnings," the player said. "The store was sold out of the $50 instant games, so I decided on a $30 ticket instead."

The man selected a Millionaire's Club scratch-off ticket.

"When I scratched the ticket and saw I'd won $4 million, the first thing I did was call my brother," the winner recalled. "He told me to make sure it wasn't one of those prank lottery tickets, so I flipped it over and read through the fine print on the back. Once I confirmed it indeed was not a prank, I called the lottery to have them confirm the prize as well."

The winner said he plans to use his prize money to pay bills and travel.

"Winning still feels unreal, but I think it's really going to sink in once I cash my check," the player said.