Man played lottery ticket after his favorite team lost and became a millionaire

An American football fan turned a disappointing day into a lucky one by winning a $500,000 prize with a ticket from the Michigan Lottery's VIP Cashword instant game.

The man, who chose not to reveal his identity, purchased the ticket at a Marathon gas station at 22063 Ryan Road in Wayne County after watching the Detroit Lions playoff game.

According to the Michigan Lottery, after his team's loss, the winner decided to check his ticket without expecting anything special, but he got a big surprise. “Of course, everyone knows how the Lions game went, but scanning the ticket and seeing that I won $500,000 helped ease the pain a little bit,” he said.

Although he still finds it hard to believe, he already has a plan for the money. His decision is to divide the prize between supporting his family and his personal savings . “I don’t feel like I’ve won yet, but I’m very excited to be able to help my family and then save some money for myself,” he said.

The fan attended the match between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders in the NFL Divisional Round, a game that caught the attention for the number of points scored in the first half. In the second quarter, both teams scored a total of 52 points, surpassing the previous mark in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, which had been 38 points in postseason games.

VIP Cashword is one of the instant lottery options offered in Michigan. Prizes range from $10 (approximately 41,265 Colombian pesos) to $500,000 (approximately 2,063,270,000 Colombian pesos) per ticket .

Currently, there are still more than US$39 million (approximately 160,935,060,000 Colombian pesos) in prizes available in this draw, including two prizes of US$500,000 (approximately 2,063,270,000 Colombian pesos) and more than 30 of US$1,000 (approximately 4,126,540 Colombian pesos).

The game at Ford Field in Detroit was one of the most memorable of the postseason. In the first half, the Commanders managed to win by a score of 31-21, which placed the game among the most points recorded in a single half in playoff history.

Additionally, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 242 passing yards in the first half, setting a postseason record for a rookie since 1996.

The Nation (Argentina) / GDA

*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from La Nación, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.