She buys a lottery ticket and thinks she’s won $10,000, but when she finds out the real prize, she opts for a one-time cash payment

Michelle Sloan, a mother from Massachusetts, thought she had won $10,000 on her lottery ticket. But when she went to the regional office to claim her prize, she was met with unexpected news: she had actually won $1 million. “I was positive it was only ten grand,” she told the Massachusetts State Lottery. “I just can’t believe it. I’m still so shocked!”

Sloan bought her winning ticket – a $2,000,000 Diamond Cashword – on July 16 at the Village Knoll Deli & Spirits in the town of Millbury, according to CBS News, citing the state lottery. When she checked the ticket, she believed she’d won a modest prize. But upon arriving at the Worcester lottery office, she was told she’d need to go to the headquarters in Boston to claim the full amount.

The $10 Diamond Cashword game has overall odds of 1 in 3.26 of winning any prize. The odds of winning $1 million are 1 in 2,520,000, while the top prize of $2 million is even slimmer – just 1 in 5,040,000. Despite those long odds, Sloan became one of the rare few, all thanks to an impulse buy.

A cash payout to invest in her children’s future

The Massachusetts mom chose to receive her winnings as a one-time cash payment. She’ll take home $650,000 before taxes, a sum she plans to invest and use to support her children. She told the press that part of the money will go toward her family’s well-being, though no further details were shared about specific plans.

As is customary, the store where the ticket was sold will also receive a reward. Village Knoll Deli & Spirits will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. These types of incentives are part of the state lottery’s reward system to encourage ticket sales.

Many people dream of changing their lives with a single ticket. Even so, the chances of hitting a million-dollar jackpot remain incredibly slim. For Michelle Sloan, luck came knocking when she least expected it.

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