LANSING, May 20, 1999 – "It only takes one ticket!" That’s a common refrain voiced by Michigan Lottery winners when they collect their winnings at Michigan Lottery headquarters.
This Friday could be some Michigan Lottery player’s lucky day! After no one matched all six numbers in the Tuesday, May 18, Big Game drawing, the Michigan Lottery’s Big Game jackpot swelled to an estimated $54 million for the Friday, May 21 drawing!
The last time a Michigan Lottery player won a Big Game jackpot was in July 1998. Charles Willis of Canton purchased the sole winning ticket for the July 3, 1998 drawing, bringing him a $17 million Lottery prize!
If one lucky player in Michigan were to have the only winning ticket matching all six Big Game numbers, it would be the largest single jackpot ever won in Michigan Lottery history! The largest to date is the $45.6 million Big Game jackpot from the January 24, 1997 drawing. That prize was divided among the 17-member "Friends Forever" lottery club of Jackson.
If one winning ticket matches all six numbers and the player has selected Annuity payments, before taxes it would amount roughly to:
- $2.08 million annually for 26 years; or
- $39,900 per week; or
- $5,700 per day!
A player who selects Cash Option for jackpot winnings would also have a nice payday. The present cash value of the $54 million jackpot is estimated at approximately $28 million before taxes!
Since the first Big Game drawing on September 6, 1996, six Michigan Lottery players have won Big Game jackpots. The following is a list of those lucky tickets and where they were sold:
- 9/6/96 $5 million unclaimed jackpot
Ticket sold by: Marina Village Liquor in Chesterfield Township - 1/24/97 $45.6 million jackpot claimed by the "Friends Forever" lottery club of Jackson
Ticket sold by: Buddy’s Mini Mart #18 in Vandercook Lake - 5/16/97 $29.9 million jackpot claimed by Joseph Yelda of Detroit
Ticket sold by: Arbor Drugs Inc. #52 in Harper Woods - 8/1/97 $5 million jackpot claimed by "M & D Lottery Club" of Warren
Ticket sold by: Southland Corp. #26851 (7-Eleven) in Warren - 6/9/98 $22 million jackpot claimed by the "Over Due Lotto Club" of Pontiac
Ticket sold by: Joslyn Market in Pontiac - 7/3/98 $17 million jackpot claimed by Charles Willis of Canton
Ticket sold by: Bill’s Party Store in Ypsilanti
In addition to winning the jackpot, Michigan Lottery players can also win a second-tier prize of $150,000 by matching the first five winning Big Game numbers. Over the past 2
