Woman Wins $500K Lottery Prize After White Elephant Exchange — and Says Ticket Was Originally Her Dad’s Gift

An Indiana woman recently participated in a white elephant gift exchange — but she had no idea it would lead to her winning a prize worth half a million dollars.

Emily Hickox, 25, found out on Christmas Day, which is also her birthday, that she won $500,000 by playing the Michigan Lottery’s Detroit Lions instant game during a holiday gift swap, according to a news release from the Michigan Lottery.

“My cousin purchased the ticket for the white elephant gift exchange at our family Christmas party,” Hickox told lottery officials. “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,” she added.

Hickox went on to share that even after she knew she was a winner, she still had no idea just how big the prize was.

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“I scratched the ticket off and thought I won $50,000. 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!" she added. "I couldn’t comprehend that I’d just won $500,000!”

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In a statement, Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli, shared Hickox’s excitement of winning on such a special day.

Related: Michigan Lottery Winner 'Thought It Was a Scam' When She Learned She Won $1M Mega Millions Prize

“Winning a prize of $500,000 is a thrill in itself, combined with the excitement of winning on Christmas, and your birthday, from a ticket you received as a gift makes it even more incredible,” she said.

As for how Hickox plans to spend her new financial windfall, she said that she’ll treat herself to a new car, invest a little, give back to her cousin who bought the ticket in the first place — and she also said that she plans to share some of her winnings with her parents.

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