• American wins $1 million after buying abandoned lottery ticket
• Winner opts for lump-sum payout

A man from Michigan won a major lottery prize after finding a ticket that had been left unattended on a gas station counter.

According to a press release from the Michigan Lottery, the 33-year-old man from Wayne County claimed the top $1 million prize after purchasing a Blazing Suits ticket during a visit to a gas station in Detroit.

The winner said in a statement: "There was a Blazing Suits ticket set aside on the counter that someone else had decided not to buy, so I purchased it." He added that he chose this $10 ticket instead of picking a new one.

He continued: "I scratched the ticket and couldn’t believe it when I saw it was a $1 million winner! I never imagined winning such a large prize, it’s truly a blessing."

The winner visited the Lottery’s headquarters to claim his prize and opted to receive it as a one-time lump-sum payment of about $693,000 rather than annual installments for the full amount.

He explained that he plans to save the money for the future, adding: "Winning is an amazing feeling, but it also comes with pressure because your mind starts thinking about all the different things you can do with this amount."

The Michigan Lottery donates proceeds from games of chance to the state’s Department of Education, contributing over $1 billion last year to support schools.

According to the Lottery, players in Michigan have won more than $14 million through Blazing Suits since its launch in June, with $10 tickets offering prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million.