Man thinks huge lottery win is a joke. Then store owner tells him to call his family

A Michigan man thought he was being pranked when told he had won a massive lottery prize, officials said.

Theodore Norwood, a 77-year-old from Westland, bought his winning Mega Millions ticket at a local liquor store, according to an Aug. 22 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

He later returned to the store to check his ticket. And after scanning it, the clerk went to find the store owner, officials said.

“When they came out, they ran the ticket again,” Norwood told lottery officials.

The owner then called him aside and told him he’d won $1 million, and Norwood thought it was a joke.

He had matched all five white balls for the July 21 drawing.

The owner said Norwood should head home and tell his family.

“That’s exactly what I did,” Norwood told lottery officials.

“I’m not really familiar with the feeling of being a millionaire, but I guess I am about to find out what it’s like!” he told lottery officials.

Norwood plans to use his winnings to travel, and he’ll save the rest, officials said.

Westland is about 30 miles west of Detroit.

This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Man thinks huge lottery win is a joke. Then store owner tells him to call his family."