What inspired 26-year-old Michigan man to buy lottery ticket that won him $500,000

FLINT, Mich. – A 26-year-old Michigan man had a very strange reason for buying a lottery ticket, but it ended up winning him $500,000.

The man said he was inspired to play the lottery because the main character in a movie he was watching looked like him and won the lottery.

“I was watching a movie and the main character won big on a lottery ticket,” he said. “The main character was my lookalike, so I took it as a sign to go buy a ticket.”

He bought a Lucky No. 13 instant game ticket at the E-Z Stop Food Mart on North Saginaw Street in Flint.

“Later that day, I was with some friends and scratched the ticket,” he said. “When I saw I’d won $500,000, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I wanted to make sure what I was seeing was real before sharing the news with my friends, so I went into the bathroom to look the ticket over again. Once I confirmed what I was seeing, I called my girlfriend to tell her the good news. I feel so blessed to win this amount of money.”

The man visited Michigan Lottery headquarters and claimed his winnings. He chose to remain anonymous.

With the money, he said he plans to take care of his children and go on a vacation.