Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $672 Million for Tonight’s Drawing

PowerballThere’s a huge pile of cash up for grabs in the Powerball jackpot, which stands at $672 million for tonight’s drawing. The cash option for the jackpot is $320.5 million.

If a lucky player wins tonight’s Powerball jackpot, it would be the third largest Powerball jackpot won this year and the 10th largest Powerball jackpot ever won.

The Powerball jackpot was last won on July 19 when one ticket purchased in California won the $1.08 billion jackpot. The jackpot was the largest Powerball jackpot won this year and the third largest jackpot in Powerball history.

The last Michigan player to win a Powerball jackpot was Cristy Davis, of Waterford. Davis won the game’s $70 million jackpot on Feb. 12, 2020.

Players have plenty of time to purchase tickets for the drawing. Lottery retailers throughout the state are selling Powerball tickets until 9:45 p.m. Tickets also may be purchased online at MichiganLottery.com.

Powerball drawings take place at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and may be watched live online at: http://www.powerball.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.

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Kent County Man Wins $4 Million Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Millionaire’s Club Instant Game

Winning ticketA Kent County man had to read the fine print on his Millionaire’s Club ticket to ensure it wasn’t a prank lottery ticket after winning a $4 million prize.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought the winning ticket at the Citgo gas station, located at 3895 Plainfield Avenue Northeast in Grand Rapids.

“I won $50 on an instant game, and wanted to reinvest my winnings,” said the 54-year-old player. “The store was sold out of the $50 instant games, so I decided on a $30 ticket instead.

“When I scratched the ticket and saw I’d won $4 million, the first thing I did was call my brother. He told me to make sure it wasn’t one of those prank lottery tickets, so I flipped it over and read through the fine print on the back. Once I confirmed it indeed was not a prank, I called the Lottery to have them confirm the prize as well.”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $2.7 million, rather than 30 annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, the player plans to pay bills and travel.

“Winning still feels unreal, but I think it’s really going to sink in once I cash my check,” the player said.

Players have won more than $61 million playing Millionaire’s Club, which launched in February. Each $30 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $30 up to $4 million. More than $96 million in prizes remain, including two $4 million top prizes, 16 $10,000 prizes, and 211 $2,000 prizes.

In 2022, Lottery players won more than $1.7 billion playing instant games.

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

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Grand Rapids Man Wins $100,000 Playing the Michigan Lottery’s $6,000,000 Jackpot Second Chance Game

Acting Lottery Commissioner, Jessica Weare (right), presents Nicholas McCreary (left) with his $100,000 check.

Acting Lottery Commissioner, Jessica Weare (right), presents Nicholas McCreary (left) with his $100,000 check.

A Grand Rapids man is planning a trip to the Taj Mahal after winning a $100,000 prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s $6,000,000 Jackpot second chance game!

Nicholas McCreary, 37, won $100,000 after he was selected in a random drawing that took place on Sept. 13. He earned entries into the giveaway by scanning non-winning $6,000,000 Jackpot tickets on the Michigan Lottery app.

“I buy $6,000,000 Jackpot tickets here and there and I always scan them on the app to double check them and earn entries into the second chance,” said McCreary. “I was going through my emails and saw I had one from the Michigan Lottery saying I’d won $100,000.

“At first, I thought it was a scam email, but after looking it over a second time, I thought everything looked pretty legitimate. I called the Lottery, and that’s when I learned that I really had won! Winning threw me off, made me shaky, and gave me butterflies all at the same time!”

McCreary recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize.

“My wife and I have been wanting to take a trip to see the Taj Mahal, so I am going to use my winnings to finally make it happen,” McCreary said.

The 10th and final $6,000,000 Jackpot second chance drawing took place on Sept. 13. Each drawing awarded:

  • One winner of $100,000
  • Five winners of $10,000
  • Twenty winners of $1,000
  • Sixty winners of $500

Michigan Lottery players will have a new second chance opportunity to win up to $100,000 at the end of the month with the 500X Money Maker instant game. The new $50 game is scheduled to launch Sept. 26.

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

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

Jordan Paterson holding $2,000 Excellence in Education checkA Cheboygan County educator known for introducing his students to new opportunities and challenges at school has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Jordan Paterson, is a middle school teacher at Inland Lakes Secondary. The school is part of the Inland Lakes 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 Paterson will air this evening.

Paterson says his experiences in middle school and high school led him to pursue a career in education.

“I absolutely hated middle school and absolutely loved high school. I know what it’s like to be bullied and hide in the bathroom, and I know what it’s like to never want to miss a day of school. I try to make sure my kids experience the great feeling of wanting to be at school and do everything I can to make sure students don’t experience the bad days that I experienced.”

Paterson says being a positive role model and doing the best for his students is what motivates him every day.

“We are in education because we truly want what’s best for kids. We might disagree what that looks like, and that’s okay. My goal is to provide a positive example for students and give them the space to have a dialogue with their teacher.”

Paterson was nominated by his wife, who cited a number of new programs spearheaded by Paterson.

“Since being hired at Inland Lakes in 2019, Jordan has helped bring countless new programs to our school and students: sixth-grade coding, Advisory/Homeroom curriculum, a middle school wide debate project, a weekly news show, end of quarter rewards for high achieving students, a middle school summer school program, staff wide professional development, and so much more. We are so lucky to have him as he focuses on bringing out the best in his students.”

Paterson earned a bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University. He has been an educator for eight years, the last five 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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$638 Million Jackpot Up for Grabs in Tonight’s Powerball Drawing

Powerball logoMichigan Lottery players have a shot at $638 million in tonight’s Powerball drawing. The cash option for the jackpot is about $304 million.

If a lucky player wins tonight’s Powerball jackpot, it would be the third largest Powerball jackpot won this year and the 10th largest Powerball jackpot ever won.

The Powerball jackpot was last won on July 19 when one ticket purchased in California won the $1.08 billion jackpot. The jackpot was the largest Powerball jackpot won this year and the third largest jackpot in Powerball history.

The last Michigan player to win a Powerball jackpot was Cristy Davis, of Waterford. Davis won the game’s $70 million jackpot on Feb. 12, 2020.

Players have plenty of time to purchase tickets for the drawing. Lottery retailers throughout the state are selling Powerball tickets until 9:45 p.m. Tickets also may be purchased online at MichiganLottery.com.

Powerball drawings take place at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and may be watched live online at: http://www.powerball.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.

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