A Grand Traverse County woman went into detective mode after learning she’d been selected in a random drawing and won a $205,831 BIG CA$H Jackpot prize from the Michigan Lottery.

“I got an email that said I was the winner of the July BIG CA$H jackpot prize, but it seemed too good to be true,” said the player, who wanted to remain anonymous. “The first thing I did was start researching the game on the Lottery website and matching up the phone number in the email to what was online. Then, I called and asked a bunch of questions just to make sure it was real!”

The 70-year-old player won $205,831 after she was selected in a random drawing that took place Aug. 13. She earned entries into the giveaway by playing the eligible BIG CA$H Second Chance Jackpot games online at MichiganLottery.com. For more information regarding eligible BIG CA$H Second Chance Jackpot games, please visit https://news.michiganlottery.com/bigcash.

The lucky player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. With her winnings, she plans to complete some home improvements

Select online instant games include a second chance progressive jackpot drawing. Part of every purchase of the games funds one progressive jackpot prize which is awarded in a second chance drawing each month. Players earn one entry for every $0.50 wagered playing the eligible games. After the entry period has closed, a random drawing takes place with one jackpot winner being selected from all entries for that month.

The BIG CA$H Second Chance game launched in April 2022. Since the BIG CA$H Second Chance games launched, players have won more than $8.5 million in progressive prizes. In the last 12 months, players have won:

• August 2024 – $176,540 progressive jackpot prize
• July 2024 – $205,831 progressive jackpot prize
• June 2024 – $207,199 progressive jackpot prize
• May 2024 – $212,310 progressive jackpot prize
• April 2024 – $234,333 progressive jackpot prize
• March 2024 – $250,299 progressive jackpot prize
• February 2024 – $227,383 progressive jackpot prize
• January 2024 – $257,631 progressive jackpot prize
• December 2023 – $260,975 progressive jackpot prize
• November 2023 – $287,648 progressive jackpot prize
• October 2023 – $342,747 progressive jackpot prize
• September 2023 – $416,322 progressive jackpot prize
• August 2023 – $729,743 progressive jackpot prize

Entries are only valid for the entry period in which they were earned. Each month, a new drawing period begins, and the progressive jackpot is reset to $5,000. The next drawing will take place Sept. 17.