81-Year-Old Saint Clair County Man Wins $1 Million Playing Mega Millions
LANSING (WWJ) - Talk about the thrill of a lifetime! A Saint Clair County man says he was numb after winning $1 million playing Mega Millions.
James Decker, of Harsens Island, matched the five white balls drawn – 05-39-54-63-66 – in last Friday's Mega Millions drawing to win a $1 million prize. He bought the winning ticket at the Anchor Bay Market in Algonac.
"I checked my ticket on Saturday morning, and thought, 'No, this can't be real,'" the 81-year-old Decker said in a statement. "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't think it was real. It wasn't until I started researching online where the $1 million winning ticket was bought that I started to believe I was the winner."
Decker has been buying his Lottery tickets at the Anchor Bay Market for years and has built a friendship with the store's owner.
"I've always told him that if I win the jackpot, I'd put his kids through college," said Decker. "When I walked into the store yesterday, he had a big smile on his face and said, 'It's you, isn't it?' I told him that I couldn't put his kids through college, but that I'd give him a nice bonus after I claimed the big prize."
Decker visited Lottery headquarters on Wednesday to claim his $1 million.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of the money," he said. "I've honestly been trying not to think about winning because it's so overwhelming."
Mega Millions drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday evening for $1 per play.