Kent County Man Wins $328,439 Fantasy 5 Jackpot from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on April 20, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Kent County man’s $328,439 winning Fantasy 5 ticket almost flew out the car window moments after finding out he’d won the jackpot.

The lucky 49-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched the Fantasy 5 numbers in the April 8 drawing to win the big prize: 12-15-20-24-39. He bought his winning ticket at the Beacon and Bridge Market, located at 7501 US 131 in Fife Lake. Fife Lake is about 15 miles southwest of Kalkaska.

“My wife and I were taking a trip up north and stopped at the store to get something to drink on our way,” said the player. “We saw the Fantasy 5 jackpot was over $300,000, so we bought a ticket.

“The next day, my wife checked the ticket on our way home and started screaming when she realized we had won the jackpot. I started sweating when she told me how much we’d won, so I rolled down the window and the ticket almost flew out the window! Thankfully my wife was able to grab it and tuck it away in a safe spot.”

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

“Winning is surreal and still hasn’t sunk in, so we haven’t made any plans for the money yet,” said the player. “We are hoping to save most of it so that we can retire a little earlier than we planned.”

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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No Fooling Around Here: Oakland County Man Wins $4.38 Million Lotto 47 Jackpot on April Fools’ Day

Posted on April 19, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketAn Oakland County man’s family thought he was playing a joke on them when he told them he won a $4.38 million Lotto 47 jackpot on April Fools’ Day.

The lucky 60-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched the winning Lotto 47 numbers drawn April 1 to win the jackpot: 04-08-17-19-24-45. He bought his winning ticket at Lathrup Village Convenience, located at 28939 Southfield Road in Lathrup Village. Lathrup Village is about 15 miles northwest of Detroit.

“I love playing Lotto 47 and I usually play every drawing,” said the player. “I scanned my ticket at the store after the drawing and got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office. When the worker told me I must have won big, I said: ‘Yeah right!’

“I checked the winning numbers when I got in my car and couldn’t believe it when I saw I had won the jackpot. I called my family to tell them the good news and they thought I was playing an April Fools’ joke on them. It took some convincing before they finally believed that I’d won!”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $3.04 million rather than annuity payments for the full amount. He plans to save his winnings.

“Winning still doesn’t feel real and I don’t think it will for a while,” said the player. “Once it sinks in, I will start making some plans for the money, but as of now I plan to save most of it.”

Each Lotto 47 play is only $1. Players select six numbers from one to 47 for a chance to win a jackpot starting at $1 million and that grows until someone wins it. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Lotto 47 ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $1.5 million in the nightly Double Play drawing. For an additional $1 per game, players may add EZMatch to their ticket for a chance to win up to $500 instantly. Lotto 47 drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturday 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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Kent County Educator Wins Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on April 18, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Veronica VanWagoner holding Excellence in Education plaque.A Kent County educator known for impacting students’ lives as a teacher and coach has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Veronica VanWagoner, is a seventh-grade history teacher with Caledonia Community 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 VanWagoner will air this evening.

VanWagoner says her second-grade teacher inspired her to be an educator.

“When I was a child, I remember playing school and anytime I was asked what I wanted to be, the answer was always the same: a teacher. In second grade, I had a fantastic teacher named Mrs. Brown and that solidified my choice!”

VanWagoner says building relationships with her students is one of her favorite things about being an educator.

“Having real conversations with my students and getting to know them outside of classroom is one of my favorite things about my job. I get to see kids in class have a-ha moments when they are learning and see their accomplishments in sports. Seeing those two sides of the students is special and helps me build a unique bond with them.”

VanWagoner was nominated by a family member. The nomination cited her dedication to helping provide students with access to books when her former school district’s library closed.

“When her previous school no longer had a library, she created her own, using her own money and grants from the school’s Education Foundation to create a library of nearly 2,000 books in her classroom. She also began walking her students to the local Kent District Library two blocks away from the middle school and getting her students library cards. The librarians then noticed these students’ parents were coming and getting library cards too and many had never had one before. The school team continued to follow the example she established there even after switching school districts. Her method of teaching reading skills has achieved very high standards of excellence among her students in both school systems. She has received accolades from several parents stating that prior to her teaching they could not get their child engaged in reading. Her philosophy is to get the child to enjoy reading utilizing book trailers (similar to movie trailers) and book talks and reading books that align with their individual interests. She has utilized debate in her classrooms to engage the students in public speaking and understanding the materials taught in social studies to be able to argue their positions. She also utilizes current event discussions to align with ancient history for greater understanding.”

VanWagoner earned a bachelor’s degree from the Oakland University and a master’s degree from Grand Valley State University. She has been an educator for 17 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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Holland Man Wins $150,000 Powerball Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on April 17, 2023 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Holland man went from swimming in the ocean to swimming in cash after winning a $150,000 Powerball prize while on vacation.

Kim Busscher, 67, matched four white balls and the Powerball – 11-24-58-66-67 PB:26 – in the Feb. 25 drawing to win a $50,000 prize. Thanks to the Power Play, the prize was multiplied to $150,000. He bought his winning ticket at the Shell gas station, located at 2398 68th Street in Fennville.

“I purchased a multi-draw ticket before leaving for vacation so that I wouldn’t miss a drawing while I was gone,” said Busscher. “A few days later, I was sitting on the beach and decided to check my ticket. I saw someone won a $150,000 prize and then started checking off my numbers.

“When I realized I was the big winner, I couldn’t believe it! I had my wife look the ticket over to make sure I was reading it right and then we called our family to tell them the good news.”

Busscher recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to donate, share with family, and then save the remainder.

“I recently started adding the Power Play option to my ticket and I’m sure glad I did,” said Busscher.

The Powerball jackpot was last won on Feb. 6. One ticket bought in Washington won the $754.6 million jackpot. The current jackpot stands at $235 million.

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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Michigan Lottery Player Wins $1 Million Powerball Prize with Ticket Bought at MichiganLottery.com

Posted on April 17, 2023 by MI_Lottery

$1 MillonBuying a Powerball ticket at MichiganLottery.com has a lucky player seeing zeros after they won a $1 million prize!

The lucky player matched the five white balls drawn Saturday night – 01-33-34-56-59 – to win a $1 million prize. The player bought their ticket online at MichiganLottery.com.

The Powerball jackpot currently stands at $235 million for tonight’s drawing.

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.

The lucky $1 million winner should contact the Lottery’s Player Relations division at 844-887-6836, option 2 to claim the prize. Powerball tickets are valid for one year from the date of the drawing.

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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