33-Year-Old Ottawa County Man Wins $1 Million Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Times 20 Instant Game

Posted on March 22, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Adam Meloche holding $1 million check An Ottawa County man is looking forward to spoiling his wife and daughter after winning $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Cashword Times 20 instant game.

“I had been pretty lucky playing Club Keno and when I cashed my ticket, I decided to buy a few Cashwords,” said lucky winner, Adam Meloche. “The second one I scratched was the $1 million winner.”

Meloche, 33, bought his winning ticket at the Wesco gas station, located at 502 West Savidge Street in Spring Lake. Spring Lake is about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids.

“When I scratched the ticket off, I must have looked it over 100 times to make sure I was reading it right,” said Meloche. “I remembered to scan it with my phone and when it said I had won $1 million, I was shocked.

“I called everyone I could think of to share the good news, but no one was answering their phones! I was celebrating so loud; I woke my one-year-old daughter up from her nap!”

Meloche visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $634,000 rather than 30 annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to purchase a new truck, take a golf trip, and spoil his wife and daughter.

“Winning is a huge relief but it gives me a lot to think about in terms of what to do with the money. I’m going to be smart with it, but I am also going to splurge a little on my wife and daughter. We’re going to take a trip to Chicago for a shopping spree soon!”

Players have won more than $34 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 $60 million in prizes remain, including two $1 million top prizes, 55 $5,000 prizes, and 561 $1,000 prizes.

In 2022, Michigan Lottery players won $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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Wayne County Man Wins $314,843 Club Keno The Jack Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on March 22, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Wayne County man said winning a $314,843 Club Keno The Jack prize from the Michigan Lottery still feels surreal.

The 27-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched his easy pick The Jack numbers – 02-03-17-19-30-33-45-63 – to eight of the 20 Club Keno numbers drawn in draw 2180827. He bought his winning ticket at the BP gas station, located at 44404 Ford Road in Canton.

“I play Club Keno here and there,” said the lucky player. “While I was at the gas station, I noticed The Jack was getting up there, so I purchased a ticket. A few minutes later, I saw The Jack had reset to $10,000, so I pulled up the winning numbers to check my ticket.

“I went through my numbers and started checking them off one-by-one and kept thinking to myself: ‘No way! There is no way that I won.’ Once I checked off the last number and realized I really had just won, I was in shock! It was such a surreal feeling, and it still doesn’t seem real.”

The lucky player visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to help his family and then save the remainder.

The Jack is a Club Keno add-on game that players may add to their Club Keno wager for as little as $1 per draw. With The Jack, players get eight easy pick numbers to match to the Club Keno numbers drawn. Players may win prizes ranging from $1 to the jackpot. The jackpot starts at $10,000 and grows until it is won. To win the jackpot, players must match all eight numbers.

Club Keno may be played at the 10,500 Lottery retailers across the state. Drawings take place every three and a half minutes. Results and live drawings may be found online at MichiganLottery.com.

In 2022, Lottery players won more than $407 million playing Club Keno, The KICKER, The Extra, and The Jack.

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

Posted on March 21, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Travis Chesser holding $1,500 Excellence in Education CheckA Macomb County educator known for providing a safe learning environment for his students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Travis Chesser, is a seventh-grade social studies teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School. The school is part of Lake Shore 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 plaque, a $1,500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school, or school district. One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year 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, and WNEM-TV in Saginaw. The news segment featuring Chesser will air this evening.

Chesser says a love of history and former teacher led him to a career in education.

“My initial desire to become a teacher was based on my love of history. I had an amazing high school history teacher, Mr. Barsuhn, who made me a huge fan of ancient history. In addition, I had been doing community theater since I was 10 years old, and I loved performing. As a teacher, I love sharing my enthusiasm for ancient history with my students. Being able to talk about history all day can be a fun way to spend your day at work.”

Chesser says doing role-play games to bring lessons to life are some of his favorite activities.

“I like to do role playing when I have a chance. For example, I have a Silk Road trading game that we play in the media center. Students take on the roles of traders in various locations and they travel and try to gain enough resources. When I teach India’s caste system, I divide the students into different castes for a few days. Then, as we learn about Hinduism, the students are given random good or bad karma and they are reborn in new lives, in different castes depending upon their karma.”

Chesser was nominated by a colleague. The nomination cited his dedication to his students and the support he provides to them.

“A dedicated public-school educator for more than 16 years, Mr. Chesser goes above and beyond daily providing a safe, enriching learning experience for all his students. He teaches seventh-grade Ancient World History which he makes come alive for his students. So much so that his students can’t get enough of him. On a daily basis, they seek him out both before and after school. They know that he is a trusted adult that will be supportive and there for a laugh and encouragement. In addition, Mr. Chesser is the sponsor of the school Spelling Bee. Since taking over this program three years ago, he has sent two building winners to the County Bee. One of these participants won the County Bee and went on to Nationals in Washington D.C. This was due in part to Mr. Chesser spending his own time and resources before and after school to prepare these students for the competition.”

Chesser earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from Concordia University. He has been an educator for 16 years, the last 12 in his 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.
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Five Michigan Lottery Players Win Opportunity to Play The Big Spin

Posted on March 20, 2023 by MI_Lottery

The Big Spin wheelFive lucky Michigan Lottery players have been selected to play The Big Spin game after winning The Big Spin second chance drawing.

The lucky winners are:

  • Brett DeHate, of Lupton
  • David Welch, of Roseville
  • Jeremiah Solomon, of Bay City
  • Karen Finger, of Farmington Hills
  • Richard Choat, of Jackson

Each player selected will spin The Big Spin wheel and have a chance to win up to $2 million. All the players who spin The Big Spin wheel are guaranteed to win at least $100,000. The players will be featured on The Big Spin televised events beginning April 10, shortly after evening Lottery drawings.

All told, 20 players were selected to appear on The Big Spin show. The second chance component of The Big Spin game ended Feb. 27.

Each $10 The Big Spin ticket offers players a chance to instantly win prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million. Players have won nearly $15 million playing The Big Spin. More than $57 million in prizes remain, including two $1 million top prizes, four $10,000 prizes, and 119 $1,000 prizes.

In 2022, Michigan Lottery players won more than $1.7 billion playing instant games.

Instant games may be purchased at the Lottery’s 10,500 retailers across the state.

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St. Patty’s Luck: $1 Million Mega Millions Winning Ticket Bought in Southfield Friday

Posted on March 20, 2023 by MI_Lottery

It wasn’t a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but a lucky Michigan Lottery player did win $1 million playing Mega Millions Friday night.

A ticket bought at the CVS pharmacy, located at 18130 West 10 Mile Road in Southfield matched the five white balls drawn Friday night – 26-28-29-39-49 – to win a $1 million prize.

The 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. Mega Millions tickets are valid for one year from the drawing date.

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.

Mega Millions tickets may be purchased online at MichiganLottery.com and at any of the Lottery’s 10,500 retailers around the state until 10:45 p.m. the day of the drawing.

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