A World War Two Navy veteran had the 94th birthday of a lifetime when we won $300,000 on a lottery ticket that his daughter bought him. After sending lottery tickets to family members on their birthdays for years, Ervin Smolinski, from South Branch, Michigan, was shocked when he was given a Double Bonus Cashword instant game ticket worth $300,000 on his own special day, according to Michigan Lottery Connect. As it was a family tradition, Smolinski had received multiple Double Bonus Cashword tickets as gifts on March 17, his birthday.