Ludington Lottery Club Wins $1 Million Powerball Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on February 9, 2026 by MI-Lottery

Winning TicketA post on Facebook tipped off a Ludington lottery club that they’d won a $1 million Powerball prize from the Michigan Lottery!

“One of the club members was out running errands and he stopped to buy a Powerball ticket since the jackpot was up to $1.5 billion,” said the club’s representative and spokesperson, Tracy Thompson. “The next day, he saw a post on Facebook that a $1 million winning Powerball ticket was sold in Ludington, so he grabbed his ticket and scanned it on the Michigan Lottery app.”

“When confetti and ballons came up on the screen with a $1 million prize, he had a hard time believing it was real. He scanned the ticket a few more times and then told his wife that they were the big winners!”

The three-member K-Car lottery club matched the five white balls – 04-05-28-52-69 – in the Dec. 20 drawing to win a $1 million prize. They bought the winning ticket at Murphy USA, located at 4888 US Highway 10 in Ludington. With their winnings, they plan to travel and invest.

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.

Posted in Michigan Lottery, Powerball, Winners List | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fraser Man Wins $100,000 at the Michigan Lottery’s Detroit Lions Second Chance Event

Posted on February 6, 2026 by MI-Lottery


Scanning a non-winning Detroit Lions ticket on the Michigan Lottery app led a Fraser man to an unforgettable experience and a $100,000 grand prize during the Michigan Lottery’s Detroit Lions second chance event!

Donald Willis, 59, won the $100,000 grand prize at the Detroit Lions second chance live event on Dec. 21. Willis earned entries into the giveaway by scanning his non-winning Detroit Lions instant game tickets on the Michigan Lottery mobile app. He was one of five finalists selected in a random drawing to participate in the event.

Acting Lottery Commissioner Joe Froehlich presenting Donald Willis with his $100,000 check at the Detroit Lions Second Chance event

Acting Lottery Commissioner, Joe Froehlich, presenting Donald Willis with his $100,000 check at the Detroit Lions Second Chance event

“A while back, my wife told me I should download the Michigan Lottery app and start scanning non-winning tickets for a second chance, so I have been doing that ever since,” said Willis. “Leading up to the event, I didn’t have a hunch that I would win until I got to the event and found out my t-shirt color was purple. That was my mom’s favorite color, so I had a good feeling after that.

“When Roary (the Detroit Lions mascot) spun the wheel, it felt like it was spinning forever, but once it finally started to slow down, I closed my eyes and looked down thinking it was about to land on the color red. When they announced purple and my name, I couldn’t believe it! The whole day was an amazing and unforgettable experience from it being my first Lions game, to being in the fan tunnel, and then to leave with $100,000 made it even better!”

With his winnings, Willis plans to buy a new truck, pay off his mortgage, and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $18 million playing the Detroit Lions instant game, which launched in August 2025.

Posted in Michigan Lottery, Promotions, Winners Gallery | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan Lottery Warns Public to Be Aware of Scams

Posted on February 5, 2026 by MI-Lottery

Scam Alert graphicThe Michigan Lottery is warning the public to be aware of lottery scams.

New lottery scams are surfacing online. Some scams may use social media to advertise unauthorized gaming apps or websites that the scammers falsely claim are affiliated with the Michigan Lottery.

Other scammers may use social media to claim they are selling lottery tickets even though the scammer is not authorized to sell Michigan Lottery tickets or has no intent of providing you with a valid lottery ticket.

Players should only purchase Michigan Lottery games at authorized retailers, on the Michigan Lottery official app, or on MichiganLottery.com. Michigan Lottery products cannot be purchased through any online casino, social media platform, or any other gaming website or gaming app.

Michigan Lottery games, including online games, can only be purchased in Michigan.

To check if a lottery prize, offer, or promotion is legitimate, members of the public may contact the Michigan Lottery at 844-917-6325, or via email at onlinehelp@michiganlottery.com.

If you believe you have been the victim of such a scam, you may contact the following agencies:

  • Your local law enforcement agency
  • The Michigan Gaming Control Board for unauthorized online casinos at: 1-888-314-2682 and MiGamblingTip@michigan.gov
  • The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at: https://www.ic3.gov/
  • The FTC at: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Posted in Michigan Lottery | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Macomb County Man Wins $25,000 a Year for Life from the Michigan Lottery Playing Lucky For Life

Posted on February 4, 2026 by MI-Lottery

Winning TicketA Macomb County man plans to share his good fortune with his family after winning $25,000 a year for life playing the Michigan Lottery’s Lucky For Life game!

David Holfelder, of Eastpointe, won the big prize when his Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on Jan. 21: 03-10-22-32-38. He bought his winning ticket at One Stop Liquor Shoppe, located at 15125 East 9 Mile Road in Eastpointe.

“I have been playing Lucky For Life a lot lately,” said Holfelder. “I scanned my ticket on the Michigan Lottery app after the drawing and was so excited to see I’d finally won a big lottery prize. The words I would use to describe winning are terrific, satisfying, and about time!”

Holfelder, 78, 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 payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater. He plans to share his winnings with his family and buy a house.

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.

Posted in Lucky For Life, Michigan Lottery, Winners List | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on February 3, 2026 by MI-Lottery

Rachel Engel holding Excellence in Education check An Oakland County educator known for investing in her students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Rachel Engel, is a first-grade teacher at Schoolcraft Elementary. The school is part of the Waterford School District.

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, WLUC in Marquette, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Engel will air this evening.

Engel said her desire to have a positive impact on young learners inspired her to pursue a career in education.

“Growing up, I had many amazing teachers who believed in me and inspired my love of learning. When I decided to work in the field of education, I wanted to have the same type of impact among young learners. My goal as a teacher is to create an empowering environment for students to harvest a love of learning and reach their full potential.”

Engel was nominated for the award by the parent of former students.

“Mrs. Engel has had three of my four children in her classroom and has done a phenomenal job with all of them. She provides an environment for her students that feels both physically and emotionally safe, allowing them to feel comfortable and be successful. She cares about her students and invests in them. She takes the time to get to know her students and meet them where they are at. She encourages them and gives them the space they need to learn and grow in every way, while still keeping them accountable at an appropriate level. She teaches them more than math, spelling and reading. She teaches them how to be good, collaborative members of their school community. She teaches them social skills and how to communicate their emotions in ways that are effective. She cares about each and every one of her students individually and it shows.”

Engel earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 10 years, the last 9 in her 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.
Posted in Excellence in Education Awards, Michigan Lottery | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment