A Fraser man won a $100,000 off a losing Michigan Lottery ticket.
Donald Willis, 59, won the $100,000 grand prize at the Detroit Lions second chance live event on Dec. 21, 2025, the Michigan Lottery announced.
Willis earned entries into the giveaway by scanning his non-winning Detroit Lions instant game tickets on the Michigan Lottery mobile app. He was one of five finalists selected in a random drawing to participate in the event.
“A while back, my wife told me I should download the Michigan Lottery app and start scanning non-winning tickets for a second chance, so I have been doing that ever since,” Willis said. “Leading up to the event, I didn’t have a hunch that I would win until I got to the event and found out my T-shirt color was purple. That was my mom’s favorite color, so I had a good feeling after that.”
Acting Lottery Commissioner Joe Froehlich presented Donald Willis with his $100,000 check at the Detroit Lions Second Chance event.
With his winnings, Willis plans to buy a new truck, pay off his mortgage, and then save the remainder.
“When Roary (the Detroit Lions mascot) spun the wheel, it felt like it was spinning forever, but once it finally started to slow down, I closed my eyes and looked down thinking it was about to land on the color red,” Willis said. “When they announced purple and my name, I couldn’t believe it! The whole day was an amazing and unforgettable experience from it being my first Lions game, to being in the fan tunnel, and then to leave with $100,000 made it even better!”
Players have won more than $18 million playing the Detroit Lions instant game, which launched in August 2025.
The game ended Nov. 21 and the finalists were drawn Nov 25, the Lottery said.
The Detroit Lions second chance promotion offered account holders who played the Detroit Lions instant game a chance to win a $100,000 cash prize. Players scanned their non-winning tickets on the Michigan Lottery mobile app ticket scanner or online at MichiganLottery.com/ticketchecker during the entry period.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Fraser man wins off losing ticket. How he claimed $100k
Reporting by Dan Basso, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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