Her Aunt Mailed Birthday Money. One $20 Online Lottery Play Turned It Into $150,000

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich., Oct. 24, 2026 — Most birthday cash goes to dinner, a gift card or a sweater nobody needed. A Michigan woman turned hers into $150,000.

The 47-year-old Oakland County woman used money from a birthday card her aunt sent to play a Michigan Lottery online game, and one $20 wager came up as a $150,000 prize, UPI and the Midland Daily News reported, citing the Michigan Lottery.

## One Spin of the Disco Pig

The game was Lucky Coins Disco Pig, one of the Michigan Lottery's online instant games.

"My aunt sent me a card with money in it for my birthday which was a few days prior, so I used the money [to] buy an online game card," she told lottery officials, according to UPI. "I was playing Lucky Coins Disco Pig and decided to do one $20 wager."

Then the screen showed the result.

"When the game finished and $150,000 came up on the screen, I thought to myself: 'Did I play in demo mode? This can't be real!'" she said. "It was the best birthday gift ever!"

It was real.

## The Plan

She told the lottery that some of the money will go toward a new car and the rest will go into savings.

No word on what the aunt is getting for her next birthday, but it's fair to say the bar is now very high.

> What We Know
> - Who: A 47-year-old Oakland County, Michigan, woman, identified by the lottery only by age and county
> - The money: Cash from a birthday card her aunt mailed a few days earlier
> - The play: One $20 wager on the online instant game Lucky Coins Disco Pig
> - The prize: $150,000
> - The plan: A new car, with the rest going into savings

Sources: UPI · Midland Daily News