Ingham County Man Wins $2 Million Playing Michigan Lottery’s Diamonds & Gold Instant Game

Posted on May 10, 2024 by MI-Lottery

Hugh Leach holding $2 million checkAn Ingham County man returned home from his grocery shopping trip a millionaire after winning $2 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Diamonds & Gold instant game.

Hugh Leach, of Mason, bought his winning ticket at the Meijer store, located at 550 Hull Road in Mason.

“I buy a $20 ticket every two weeks,” said Leach. “When I finished up grocery shopping, I stopped at the Lottery machine and purchased a ticket on my way out. When I got home and finished unloading the groceries, I scratched the ticket.

“When I saw I matched ‘02’ for a $2 million prize, I thought: ‘Wait a minute. This can’t be right.’ I looked the ticket over a few more times and then said to my wife: ‘I think I just won $2 million!’ I called the Lottery the next day to confirm it was real and schedule an appointment to claim my prize.”

“Going to the grocery store to fill your pantry and finding out you also filled your bank account must be an incredible feeling!” said Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli. “I’d like to congratulate Hugh Leach on his big win and thank him, and all of our loyal players, for helping the Lottery contribute more than $28 billion to Michigan schools since 1972!”

Leach, 82, recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to purchase a new car and a new lawn mower, complete some home repairs, and invest.

“You see these types of things happen to other people, but you never think it will be you, so winning was a complete shock,” said Leach.

Players have won more than $19 million playing Diamonds & Gold, which launched in March. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $2 million. More than $84 million in prizes remain, including two $2 million top prizes, 32 $5,000 prizes, and 183 $2,000 prizes.

In 2023, Lottery players won nearly $1.8 billion playing instant games.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the 10,500 retailers across the state.

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Detroit Woman Wins $25,000 a Year for Life from the Michigan Lottery Playing Lucky For Life

Posted on May 9, 2024 by MI-Lottery

Lucky for LifeA Detroit woman and her mother are celebrating after playing Lucky For Life together and winning $25,000 a year for life!

Tamika Boyd, 38, won the big prize when her Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on April 17: 06-09-19-27-42. She bought her ticket online at MichiganLottery.com.

“My mom plays Lucky For Life, and I decided to add the Michigan Lottery app to my phone so I could play, too,” said Boyd. “As we were picking our numbers, my mom said: ‘My momma needs to send us a blessing.’ That’s when I added her birthday to my numbers. When I saw what I had won, I couldn’t believe it!”

Boyd visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim her prize. She chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000, rather than annuity payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater. With her winnings she plans to take a trip to Chicago with her mom and then save the remainder.

Lucky For Life has been exceptionally lucky for Lottery players this year. Players have won a lifetime of cash eight times so far in 2024 playing Lucky For Life. The big wins came on:

For just $2 per play, Lucky For Life gives Lottery players a chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to a lifetime of cash. To win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life, players must match all five winning numbers ranging from 1 to 48, plus one Lucky Ball ranging from 1 to 18. Players who match all five winning numbers, but not the Lucky Ball, will win $25,000 a year for life. Drawings take place at 10:38 p.m. seven days-a-week. Tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com.

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Taylor Man Wins $100,000 Powerball Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on May 8, 2024 by MI-Lottery

Winning TicketA Taylor man thought he was the victim of an April Fools’ Day prank when he learned he won $100,000 playing Powerball.

Jeremiah Maher, 43, matched four white balls and the Powerball – 19-24-40-42-56, PB: 23 – in the April 1 drawing to win a $50,000 prize. Thanks to the Power Play, the prize was multiplied to $100,000. He bought his winning ticket at the 7-Eleven store, located at 20945 Ecorse Road in Taylor.

“I looked at my numbers after the drawing and I thought someone was pulling an April Fools’ Day prank on me,” said Maher. “It felt so unreal to see my numbers come up in the drawing. It’s definitely the most exciting April Fools’ Day I’ve ever had!”

Maher visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He plans to put his winnings towards building a new house.

Powerball plays may be purchased for $2 each at Lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com. A “Power Play” option that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times to a maximum of $2 million may be added to any Powerball play for only $1. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Powerball ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $10 million in the nightly Double Play drawing.

The Powerball drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and may be watched live online at: http://www.powerball.com. Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

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Kalamazoo County Educator Wins Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on May 7, 2024 by MI-Lottery
Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli (left), presenting David Smith (right) with his Excellence in Education check

Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli (left), presenting David Smith (right) with his Excellence in Education check

A Kalamazoo County educator known for incorporating life lessons into class periods and taking responsibility to help any student that is struggling has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, David Smith, is a high school creative writing teacher at Vicksburg High School. The school is part of Vicksburg Community Schools.

The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence In Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.

Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Smith will air this evening.

“During his 25-plus year career, David Smith has had a positive impact on so many students,” said Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli. “He has been a listening ear and an adult that students know they can come to when they need help in or outside of school. His focus on finding positivity in school and in life has shown his students that when you are positive those around you will be too.”

Smith says finding ways to relate to his students helps build connections and makes a better learning environment.

“I like to make the students feel comfortable in my class and laugh with them. As their comfort level rises, so does their willingness to learn and grow. I always have my door open, and they know they can come in and talk.”

Smith was nominated for the award by a student.

“Mr. Smith is an outstanding teacher that truly cares about his students. He finds ways to incorporate life lessons into class periods, and he takes it as his responsibility to help any student that is struggling, with class work or with life. He takes time out of his day to sit and talk with students, just to make us feel heard. Personally, he has been my biggest supporter of my writing and has helped me grow in my writing techniques. Out of all the teachers I have ever had, if anyone deserves this award, it is Mr. Smith for his determination, always positive attitude, and his love and passion for the work he does and the kids he has in class, all of which, he would call his own.”

Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University. He has worked in education for 27 years, the last 14 in his current position.

Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
  • Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
  • Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
  • Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
  • Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
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Macomb County Man Wins $25,000 a Year for Life from the Michigan Lottery Playing Lucky For Life

Posted on May 6, 2024 by MI-Lottery

Winning ticketChecking his Lucky For Life ticket at 2:30 a.m. had a Macomb County man thinking he was dreaming after he realized he’d won $25,000 a year for life!

Donald Heilig, 69, won the big prize when his Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on April 19: 05-08-24-28-34. He bought his winning ticket at the Hub Sports Bistro, located at 16780 21 Mile Road in Macomb Township.

“I play Lottery regularly, usually Daily 4, but on April 19 I decided to try Lucky For Life,” said Heilig. “I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and pulled up the winning numbers before I laid back down. It really was hard to know if I was dreaming or if I had really won big because it was the middle of the night!

“The next morning, I had my wife look at the ticket to make sure I had really won. We must have checked the ticket at least 10 times before we came to claim the prize.”

Heilig visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000, rather than annuity payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater. With his winnings, he plans to buy his wife a car and then save the remainder.

Lucky For Life has been exceptionally lucky for Lottery players this year. Players have won a lifetime of cash eight times so far in 2024 playing Lucky For Life. The big wins came on:

For just $2 per play, Lucky For Life gives Lottery players a chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to a lifetime of cash. To win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life, players must match all five winning numbers ranging from 1 to 48, plus one Lucky Ball ranging from 1 to 18. Players who match all five winning numbers, but not the Lucky Ball, will win $25,000 a year for life. Drawings take place at 10:38 p.m. seven days-a-week. Tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com.

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