Climb Continues: Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $1.73 Billion for Tonight’s Drawing

Posted on October 11, 2023 by MI_Lottery

PowerballCash is still piling up in the Powerball jackpot which stands at $1.73 billion for tonight’s drawing. The cash option for the jackpot is $756.6 million.

If a lucky player wins tonight’s Powerball jackpot, it would be the second largest lottery jackpot ever won.

Tonight’s drawing will be the 36th drawing since the Powerball jackpot was last won on July 19. 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. This is the first time that two consecutive jackpot runs have produced billion-dollar jackpots in the Powerball game.

During the current jackpot run, which began July 22, Michigan Lottery players have purchased more than 27 million tickets at retailers and have won more than $13 million in prizes, including six prizes of $1 million or more:

  • Aug. 26 – $1 million winning ticket was purchased at Wild Bills Tobacco Livonia III, located at 27424 6 Mile Road in Livonia.
  • Sept 11. – $1 million winning ticket was purchased at Kristi’s Pour House, located at 211 East Main Street in Hart.
  • Sept. 23 – $2 million winning ticket was purchased online at MichiganLottery.com.
  • Sept. 30 – $1 million winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven, located at 34951 Garfield Road in Fraser.
  • Oct. 2 – $1 million winning ticket was purchased at Purk’s Inc., located at 875 East Lincoln in Ionia.
  • Oct. 7 – $1 million winning ticket was purchased at Northview Wine Shoppe, located at 23015 21 Mile Road in Macomb.

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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Hastings Woman Wins $100,000 Powerball Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on October 11, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Hastings woman is looking forward to “a sense of security and less stress” after winning a $100,000 Powerball prize from the Michigan Lottery.

Debra Cogger, 64, matched four white balls and the Powerball – 11-19-29-63-68, PB: 25 – in the Sept. 9 drawing to win a $50,000 prize. Thanks to the Power Play, the prize was multiplied to $100,000. She bought her winning ticket at the Shell gas station, located at 135 East Green Street in Hastings.

“I buy three Powerball tickets a week and I always play Easy Pick numbers,” said Cogger. “I scanned my ticket at a store to check it and got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office. I had the cashier check it and he said, ‘I think you need to go to Lansing for this one!’

“I called my friend and told him I think I won big, so he came over and checked my ticket on the Lottery app. I couldn’t believe it when he told me the ticket was worth $100,000!”

Cogger recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay off her home and then save the remainder.

“Winning $100,000 gives me a sense of security and less stress,” Cogger said.

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.

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Shiawassee County Woman Wins $6 Million Playing the Michigan Lottery’s $300,000,000 Diamond Riches Instant Game

Posted on October 10, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Shiawassee County woman had to ask a gas station clerk if what she was seeing was real when she won $6 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s $300,000,000 Diamond Riches instant game.

The lucky 56-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at the Clark gas station, located at 252 South Main Street in Lapeer.

“I have been playing the $300,000,000 Diamond Riches game since it came out,” said the player. “When I purchased the ticket, I scratched the barcode right away and scanned it. I got a message to file a claim, so I scratched the ticket to see what I’d won.

“When I revealed the ‘6MIL’ symbol, I was dumbfounded. I showed the clerk who sold me the ticket and asked if it was real. I don’t think it’s going to fully sink in until I see all the extra zeros in my bank account!”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $4.1 million, rather than 30 annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to purchase a house and a car and then save the remainder.

“Winning is such a blessing and couldn’t have come at a better time in my life,” the player said.

Players have won more than $311 million playing $300,000,000 Diamond Riches, which launched in July 2022. Each $50 ticket offered players a chance to win prizes ranging from $50 up to $6 million.

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

Posted on October 10, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Melissa Brown holding $2,000 Excellence in Education check A Muskegon County educator known for immersing her students in French culture has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Melissa Brown, teaches French at Mona Shores High School. The school is part of the Mona Shores Public 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 Brown will air this evening.

Brown says interacting with students at an event during her time as a marketer led her to a career in education.

“I worked on the road for an event marketing company prior to becoming a teacher and one of my tours was The Lowe’s Great Safety Adventure – a home safety course for elementary students. I loved interacting with them and found that it was not only fun but felt easy and I could make an impact. Teachers who visited us on tour remarked that I would make a great teacher, so one day I decided to change careers and do just that!”

Brown says educating and inspiring teens are two things she enjoys most about being an educator.

“I love to educate and inspire teens. They have so much potential and are so interesting yet often overlooked by most adults. I am incredibly passionate about French language and culture and the kids can feel it. They know when a teacher truly loves what she does. I love sharing my international experiences with students and creating opportunities for them to make their own by taking students to France every two years. I love hearing from former students who have chosen to study abroad, take a trip overseas, welcome an exchange student, or just get involved in the international community.”

Brown was nominated for the award by a former colleague.

“Melissa is an amazing teacher that truly cares about her students and their wellbeing. She gives 100% effort every day and goes above and beyond in trying to instill knowledge not only about French, but about developing life skills along the way. She teaches using relevant, interesting, and interactive techniques to keep them engaged and curious, all while also using her fabulous sense of humor! For instance, when learning about French food, she will have a French “cheese day” and bring in samples for them to try. When learning about French fashion or clothing vocabulary, she may have a fashion show where the kids dress up and describe their outfits in French. The students love these events, and she is a student favorite and well regarded.”

Brown earned a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from Grand Valley State University. She has been an educator for 18 years, the last nine with the Mona Shores High School.

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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Michigan Lottery Player Wins $25,000 a Year for Life Playing Lucky For Life; Winning Ticket Bought Online

Posted on October 10, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Lucky For LifeA Michigan Lottery player is waking up to a lifetime of cash after winning $25,000 a year for life playing Lucky For Life.

A ticket matched the five white balls drawn Monday night – 09-13-17-30-38 – to win the big prize. The winning ticket was bought online at MichiganLottery.com. This is the ninth time this year a Michigan player has won a lifetime prize playing Lucky For Life.

The lucky winner has two choices to collect the big prize:

  • Annual $25,000 payments for a minimum of 20 years or life, whichever is greater, or
  • A one-time lump sum cash payment of $390,000

The lucky winner should contact the Michigan Lottery Player Relations Division at 844-887-6836, option 2 to schedule an appointment to collect the big prize. The prize must be claimed at the Lottery’s headquarters in Lansing. Lucky For Life tickets are valid for one year from the drawing date.

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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