Montmorency County Woman Wins $327,985 Fantasy 5 Jackpot from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on March 27, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Montmorency County woman had her Fantasy 5 ticket for days before finding out it was the winner of a $327,985 Fantasy 5 jackpot from the Michigan Lottery.

The lucky 64-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched the Fantasy 5 numbers in the March 13 drawing to win the big prize: 19-21-31-32-35. She bought her winning ticket at the Family Fare, located at 5105 County Road 612 in Lewiston. Lewiston is about 25 miles southeast of Gaylord.

“I play Fantasy 5 every day,” said the player. “I usually check the winning numbers every morning, but for this drawing I completely forgot to check my ticket. When I was at the store a few days later, I saw the Fantasy 5 jackpot had reset, and I was bummed since it was starting to get big. That’s when I remembered I hadn’t checked my ticket, so I went to scan it on the Lottery machine.

“As soon as the message came up saying to file a claim at the Lottery office, I knew I was the big winner! I called my friend right away to tell her the good news.”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. With her winnings, she plans to invest.

“Winning the Lottery is still sinking in, but now that I am here claiming my prize, it’s starting to feel a lot more real,” the player said.

Each Fantasy 5 play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, EZmatch may be added to a Fantasy 5 ticket, giving players a chance to win up to $500 instantly. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Fantasy 5 ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $110,000 in the nightly Double Play drawing. Fantasy 5 players select five numbers from one to 39. Players who match all five Fantasy 5 numbers drawn win a jackpot that starts at $100,000. Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at a retailer or online at MichiganLottery.com until 7:08 p.m. on the day of the drawing.

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Wayne County Man Wins $100,000 Playing the Michigan Lottery’s $6,000,000 Jackpot Second Chance Game

Posted on March 23, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Jackpot graphicA Wayne County man was stunned when he got a call from the Michigan Lottery informing him that he had won a $100,000 prize playing the $6,000,000 Jackpot second chance game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, won $100,000 after he was selected in a random drawing that took place on March 2. He earned entries into the giveaway by scanning non-winning $6,000,000 Jackpot tickets on the Michigan Lottery app.

“I got a call one morning and saw from the caller ID that is was the Michigan Lottery,” said the 70-year-old player. “I instantly thought of the $6,000,000 Jackpot second chance game and wondered if the call was because I had won the $1,000 or $10,000 prize. The thought of winning the $100,000 prize never crossed my mind because I never thought I would win it.

“When the Lottery employee told me I had won the $100,000 prize, I was stunned. Winning feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!”

The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay bills, donate to a charity, and complete some home improvements.

Each non-winning $6,000,000 Jackpot ticket is eligible for a second chance to win a prize ranging from $500 up to $100,000. Players may enter by scanning their non-winning tickets on the Michigan Lottery mobile app ticket scanner by Sept. 1, 2023. Seven more second chance drawings will be conducted. Each drawing will award:

  • One winner of $100,000
  • Five winners of $10,000
  • Twenty winners of $1,000
  • Sixty winners of $500

Players can visit www.michiganlottery.com/Jackpot for complete game rules and drawing dates. The next drawing is scheduled for March 30.

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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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