Kristine Hosler and her husband, Russell, have had a streak of bad luck for the past few years, but that came to an end when Kristine purchased a Cash Blast instant ticket and won $500,000.
A long-time lottery player, Kristine knew the ticket was a big winner when she scratched it, but her husband wasn’t easily convinced.
“I said I’d believe it once we had the check in hand,” Russell said.
Kristine said she plans to give some of her winnings to charity.
“There were times when I couldn’t buy groceries, and they helped us, so we want to give back,” she said.
Other plans include purchasing a retirement home.
The winning ticket was bought at Niles RPM IV Inc., 267 E. Front St. in Buchanan.
More than 95 cents of every dollar spent on lottery tickets are returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In 2011, the contribution to schools was more than $717 million. Since its inception in 1972, the lottery has contributed more than $16 billion to education in Michigan. For information on all lottery games, go to www.michiganlottery.com.