A Michigan man lost out on a $6M jackpot. His losing lottery ticket still won him $100,000

How can a losing lottery ticket earn a big prize? It happened for a Michigan man who played a multimillion-dollar lottery game several times and lost - but still won $100,000.

The Wayne County man, who chose to remain anonymous, cashed in using his previously unsuccessful tickets as part of the Michigan Lottery's $6 million jackpot second-chance drawings.

"I (had) been playing the $6 million jackpot game a lot, so when I learned there was a second-chance component to the game, I figured I might as well give it a try," the player told the Michigan Lottery.

Players can enter by scanning nonwinning tickets on the state lottery's mobile app ticket scanner for each of the 10 drawings' entry periods, according to the Michigan Lottery's website.

Each nonwinning $6 million jackpot ticket is eligible for a second shot at winning a prize ranging from $500 to $100,000.

The 43-year-old winner was selected in a random drawing on April 27.

He didn't believe he'd won at first.

"I got an email from the lottery one day informing me that I'd won a $100,000 prize," he said in a news release. "I thought it was a joke."

He called to confirm whether the email was a scam - and it was the real deal.

"I was shocked!" he said. "Winning still doesn't seem real, and I don't think it will sink in for a while."

The player, who recently visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim the money, said he plans to save his winnings.

A 44-year-old woman from St. Clair County, Michigan, won $100,000 on a losing lottery ticket in April, according to a news release.