Muskegon County Man Wins $300,000 Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Royal VIP Instant Game Online


A Muskegon County man said winning $300,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Royal VIP online instant game is still sinking in.

“A few of my friends have been playing Royal VIP lately, which is how I found out about the game,” said the lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous. “I got up early one morning to let my dog out and decided to play a few games of Royal VIP before starting my day.

“I won $700 within a few minutes of playing and was happy with that. A few minutes later, I won again, but I thought I’d only won $300 at first. When I realized I had actually won $300,000, I didn’t think it was real. It wasn’t until I saw my account balance with instructions on claiming the prize that I knew I had really won. It was such a shock and is still sinking in!”

The 40-year-old player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. He plans to save his winnings.

Michigan Lottery players have a chance to win up to $500,000 instantly playing online. Players also may win prizes ranging from $1 up to multimillion-dollar jackpots playing Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Lotto 47, and Fantasy 5 online. Through its online platform, the Lottery offers players more than 175 different games with plays ranging in price from 5 cents to $20.

More than 1 million players have registered to play the Lottery’s online games, which were launched in 2014. For more information or to play online, visit http://bit.ly/MSLOnlineGames.

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Wayne County Man Wins $1 Million Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Millionaire Maker II Instant Game

Winning ticketA Wayne County man who had a feeling he would win big has won a $1 million prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Millionaire Maker II instant game.

The lucky 53-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought his winning ticket at the Shell gas station, located at 12805 Telegraph Road in Redford.

“I really enjoyed the first Millionaire Maker game, so I was excited when the Millionaire Maker II game came out and I had a feeling I would win big on it,” said the player. “I scratched the ticket at the store right after purchasing it and when I saw I’d matched ‘26’ for a $1 million prize, I couldn’t believe it! I went straight home to tell my wife the good news and have her look the ticket over. We were both so excited!”

The player 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 home, set some aside for his grandkids, and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $71 million playing Millionaire Maker II which launched in Sept. 2021. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $40 up to $1 million. More than $29 million in prizes remain, including five $1 million top prizes and eight $5,000 prizes.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the 10,500 retailers across the state.

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Bay County Man Wins $300,000 Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Bingo Blockbuster Instant Game

Winning ticketA Bay County man took a chance on a game he doesn’t usually play and won a $300,000 top prize on the Michigan Lottery’s Bingo Blockbuster instant game.

The 46-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, purchased his winning ticket at Southside Market, located at 1700 Cass Avenue in Bay City.

“I was at the store and bought two $30 tickets and won $100, so I used some of my winnings to purchase more tickets,” said the player. “I hardly ever play the Bingo games, but there was one left on the roll, so I decided to purchase it.

“I scratched the barcode and scanned it right away and got a message to file a claim. I scanned it a few more times and kept getting the same message, so I drove straight to the Lottery office in Saginaw to find out what I’d won. When the Lottery employee told me the ticket was a $300,000 winning ticket, I thought I had heard her wrong at first. It still doesn’t feel real as I’m sitting here claiming the prize!”

The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to complete some home renovations and then invest the remainder.

“Winning $300,000 is humbling and came at the perfect time,” the player said.

Players have won more than $15 million playing Bingo Blockbuster which launched in June. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $10 million in prizes remain, including one $300,000 top prize, two $12,000 prizes, two $10,000 prizes, and 10 $2,000 prizes.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the 10,500 retailers across the state.

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

McAnn Bradford holding $1,500 Excellence in Education checkA Manistee County educator known for her love of teaching and her students has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, McAnn Bradford, is a second-grade teacher with Manistee Area 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 Bradford will air this evening.

Bradford says that she wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember.

“When I was a child, if we got to pick out a toy at the toy store, I always chose a planner or notebook. Playing school and pretending to be a teacher was always one of my favorite activities. Teaching came naturally to me, and I am so happy to have a career that I love and be able to make an impact on children’s’ lives.”

Bradford says reading to her students is one of her favorite activities.

“Reading is so important, and I enjoy reading to my students each day. When they come in from recess, they are so energetic, so we take 20 minutes each day to read after lunch and settle back into learning for the afternoon. It’s a great way to share my love of books with my students!”

Bradford was nominated by the parent of a former student. The nomination cited her perseverance during a challenging year and her dedication to students.

“Mrs. Bradford is loved by every student, teacher, staff member, and parent that is lucky enough to meet her. She is not only kind, understanding, and fair but she puts her love for her students and teaching above everything. This past year was a rough one for Mrs. Bradford with multiple trips to the hospital and countless touch and go situations that we were not sure she would come out of. She is so committed to her students that she made it her goal to be better by the first day of school this year, and she was! Mrs. Bradford deserves this recognition and award because she is simply the essence of what a teacher should be. You are loved Mrs. Bradford! Thank you for all you did for my Emma and for every student you have taught.”

Bradford earned a bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 29 years, the last five in her 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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Wayne County Woman Wins $500,000 Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Blazing Hot 7’s Instant Game

Winning ticketA Wayne County woman got the surprise of a lifetime when what she thought was a non-winning ticket ended up being a $500,000 winning Blazing Hot 7’s ticket.

The 50-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, purchased her winning ticket at the CVS pharmacy, located at 15240 Southfield Road in Allen Park.

“I was visiting my mom and decided to stop and purchase a few tickets on my way home,” said the player. “I scratched the tickets later that night and I didn’t think I won anything, but I scanned them on the Lottery app to be sure. When I scanned the Blazing Hot 7’s ticket and confetti came up on the screen with a winning amount of $500,000, I was confused.

“I looked the ticket over again, which is when I realized I had overlooked ‘04’ in the ‘Your Numbers’ section. I started hyperventilating and called my mom and sister to tell them the news. They thought something bad had happened until I explained that I’d just won $500,000. I couldn’t sleep and was up all night because I was in such shock!”

The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. With her winnings, she plans to take a vacation and then invest the remainder.

“Winning is such a blessing and will allow me to set myself up for a good future,” the player said.

Players have won more than $9 million playing Blazing Hot 7’s which launched in January. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. More than $24 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 top prizes, 8 $10,000 prizes, and 16 $2,000 prizes.

Lottery instant games may be purchased at any of the 10,500 retailers across the state.

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