Grand Traverse County Man Wins $1 Million Mega Millions Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on November 27, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Grand Traverse County man is looking forward to living debt-free after winning a $1 million Mega Millions prize from the Michigan Lottery.

Kyle Becker, of Interlochen, matched the five white balls in the Oct. 27 drawing to win $1 million: 11-32-43-57-70. He bought his winning ticket at Miracle Mile E-Z Mart, located at 509 Munson Avenue in Traverse City.

“I usually buy a Mega Millions ticket every few weeks,” said Becker. “I was on my way to my property to hunt early one morning and stopped to check my Mega Millions ticket. I got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office when I scanned it, so I asked the clerk what that meant. She told me I must have won big, and when I asked how big, she thought maybe a couple thousand dollars.

“When I got in my truck, I looked up the winning numbers and saw I matched five for a $1 million prize. When I told my wife how much we won, she didn’t believe me until I sent her a picture of the ticket. I was having a hard time believing it myself, but I couldn’t verify the prize until Monday morning when the Lottery office opened. I still can’t believe it’s real even though I am here claiming the prize!

“Winning means being debt-free and having a nice financial cushion for me and my family.”

Becker, 37, recently visited headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay bills and live debt-free.

Mega Millions drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday evening. Each Mega Millions play is only $2. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a “Megaplier” that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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A Michigan Lottery Reminder: Practice Responsible Giving this Holiday Season

Posted on November 27, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Gift ResponsiblyThe Michigan Lottery has teamed up with the National Council on Problem Gambling to remind players to practice responsible giving this holiday season when using Lottery tickets as gifts.

Throughout the holiday season, the Lottery will be sharing messages on its social media channels, running digital ads, and running spots on radio stations across the state promoting responsible gifting. Players also will notice responsible gifting messages on the Lottery’s website, draw game tickets, and video displays at retailers.

All Lottery players must be at least 18 years old, so Lottery tickets shouldn’t be used as gifts for minors. This includes tickets for games such as Mega Millions, Powerball, and Lucky For Life, as well as the popular instant game tickets, which often are given as gifts during the holidays. For more information about the Lottery’s commitment responsible gaming, visit: www.michiganlottery.com/responsible_gaming.

The holidays also may be a stressful time for some people, and it is best to avoid gaming activities when stressed. The Lottery reminds players: knowing your limits is always the best bet. The Michigan Problem Gambling Helpline is available to provide free, one-on-one support for players who may have a problem. For confidential help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, players may call 1-800-270-7117. Chat and text options also are available through www.michiganlottery.com.

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Otsego County Woman Wins $1 Million Playing Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Times 20 Instant Game

Posted on November 22, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Bonnie Hitchings (right) and her husband Charles Hitchings. A retailer selling out of an Otsego County woman’s favorite game led her to trying a new game and winning a $1 million prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Times 20 instant game.

Bonnie Hitchings, of Johannesburg, bought her winning ticket at the Shell gas station, located at 1025 West Main Street in Gaylord. Johannesburg is about 12 miles southwest of Gaylord.

“I stopped at the gas station to buy a few Daily 4 tickets,” said Hitchings. “When I was checking out, I asked for the Win $100, $200 or $500 ticket, but they were sold out, so I got a Cashword Times 20 ticket instead. I scratched the barcode and scanned the ticket three times. I kept getting a message to file a claim at the lottery office, so I assumed their scanner was broken and went out to my car to scan it on the Lottery app.

“When I scanned the ticket, confetti came up on the screen with a message saying I won $1 million. I went back into the store to show the worker and everyone in the store was so excited. Everywhere I go lately I have people stopping to congratulate me. It’s a crazy and exciting feeling!”

Hitchings, 67, recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000 rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to take a trip to Alaska and invest.

Players have won more than $77 million playing Cashword Times 20, which launched in Sept. 2022. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $1 million. More than $19 million in prizes remain, including one $1 million top prize, 16 $5,000 prizes, and 217 $1,000 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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Michigan Lottery Offices Closed in Observance of Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Happy Thanksgiving graphicIn observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing and all Lottery regional offices located in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Livonia, Saginaw, and Sterling Heights will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 23 and 24.

All regularly scheduled drawings will take place on Thursday and Friday.

The bank claim centers that the Michigan Lottery has teamed up with may have office hours on Thursday and Friday, however, they will not be able to process claims, because the Lottery offices will be closed.

All Lottery offices will reopen on Monday at 7:45 a.m.

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

Posted on November 21, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning ticketA lucky mistake led to a big payday for an Illinois man who won $25,000 a year for life playing Lucky For Life.

Michael Sopejstal, 60, won the big prize when his Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on Sept. 17: 11-15-17-24-48. He bought his winning ticket at the GoLo gas station, located at 102 West Buffalo Street in New Buffalo.

“I come to Michigan every few weeks to eat at my favorite restaurant and I always get a Lucky for Life ticket for 10 or 20 draws while I’m here,” said Sopejstal. “I asked the retailer for a ticket for 10 draws, but he accidentally printed a ticket with 10 lines for one draw, but I told him I still wanted it.

“I checked my ticket one morning and saw that I had won $25,000 a year for life. I immediately started thinking about all the things I could do with the money and whether I wanted to take the lump sum or annuity option. It was an amazing feeling!”

Sopejstal 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 travel and then save the remainder.

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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