Text from family alerts Michigan woman to $3.98M lottery jackpot win

A text message from a family member tipped off a Michigan woman to check her Feb. 21 lottery numbers in case she won a jackpot. 

As it turns out, the Michigan Lottery said that hunch was correct for a $3.98 million jackpot.

The story involves a Tuscola County couple who have played the Lotto 47 game for years. Ahead of the Feb. 21 drawing, they happened to buy tickets at Bryan's Market on Lapeer Road in North Branch, in Lapeer County. 

The 63-year-old woman, who chose to remain anonymous when claiming her prize, told lottery officials how she and her husband learned about the win. 

"The day after the drawing, we got a text from a family member that said a Lotto 47 jackpot winning ticket was sold at Bryan's Market and asked if we were the big winners. Bryan's Market is where we happened to buy our tickets that week, but we thought the odds that we were actually the big winners were slim," she said. 

"I grabbed several Lotto 47 tickets out of my wallet and started scanning them on the Michigan Lottery app. When I was about halfway through the pile, the screen lit up and $3.98 million came up on the scanner. I was in complete shock. It's the kind of feeling that makes you want to break down and cry." 

The player chose to receive her winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of $2.7 million rather than via annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she said, she plans to pay bills and live comfortably. 

Players in the Lotto 47 game select six numbers from one to 47 for a chance to win a jackpot that starts at $1 million and grows until someone wins it. Drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. 

The above video originally aired on Feb. 23, 2026.