Woman gets $500,000 lottery ticket in white elephant gift exchange
Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A woman who ended up with a Michigan Lottery scratch-off ticket in her family's white elephant gift exchange scored a $500,000 prize.
Indiana woman Emily Hickox, 25, told Michigan Lottery officials she ended up with the Detroit Lions ticket after her family's gift exchange on Christmas, which is also her birthday.
"My cousin purchased the ticket for the white elephant gift exchange at our family Christmas party," Hickox said. "My dad actually won the ticket in the gift exchange, and I won the gift he brought, a flashlight. He wanted his gift back, so we made an agreement after the game to trade gifts."
The trade turned out to be a good move for Hickox.
"I scratched the ticket off on Christmas, which also happens to be my birthday, and thought I won $50,000," she recalled. "I downloaded the Michigan Lottery app and created an account to check the ticket on the app scanner. I was expecting to see $50,000, so when I saw the extra zero, I was speechless! I couldn't comprehend that I'd just won $500,000!"
Hickox said she will use her winnings to buy a new car, invest, and share with her family -- including her dad and the cousin who bought the ticket.
