Alpena County Woman Wins $300,000 Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Time Deluxe Instant Game

Posted on October 29, 2021 by MI_Lottery

An Alpena County woman couldn’t stop shaking after she won $300,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Time Deluxe instant game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at The Corner Depot, located at 999 Long Rapids Road in Alpena.

“I don’t buy instant tickets often but thought ‘Why not?’ and purchased one while I was at the store,” said the player. “When I scratched the ticket and saw the winning amount, all I could think was: ‘How many zeros is that?!’

“I showed my husband, and he took it to the store to have them check it. When he got home and told me it was real, I couldn’t stop shaking.”

The lucky 67-year-old player visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay off her home, purchase a new vehicle, and share with family.

“Winning is an unbelievable feeling. It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” said the player.

Players have won more than $24 million playing Wild Time Deluxe, which launched in April. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $300,000. More than $8 million in prizes remain, including two $25,000 prizes, seven $2,500 prizes, and 58 $500 prizes.

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

In 2020, Lottery players won more than $1.5 billion playing instant games.

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Westland Man Wins $25,000 a Year for Life Playing Lucky For Life

Posted on October 28, 2021 by MI_Lottery

A Westland man turned a lucky day into a lifetime of cash playing Lucky For Life!

Bruce Judycki, 69, matched the five white balls drawn Aug. 31 – 06-15-27-36-37 – to win $25,000 a year for life. He bought his winning ticket at Hunter and Wayne Liquor, located at 35201 Hunter Street in Westland.

“I stop in the party store regularly, but don’t usually play Lottery games,” said Judycki. “I was talking to the clerk, and he said: ‘It’s your lucky day, Bruce! You should give this a try.’ I told him I would take five easy picks of the Lucky For Life game.

“The next day, they called me and told me to bring my ticket to the store. At first, I thought something must be wrong, but when I got there, they told me they had sold a big winner and they were pretty sure it was me. I couldn’t believe what they were telling me!”

Judycki visited Lottery headquarters to claim his big prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump sum payment of $390,000, rather than annuity payments of $25,000 for 20 years or life, whichever is greater.

With his winnings, he plans to pay bills and then share with family.

“I always thought when I retired, I would move somewhere warm and get a sports car. Then I became a grandfather, and everything changed, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I can’t wait to enjoy this with my family,” Judycki said.

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

Posted on October 27, 2021 by MI_Lottery

A Muskegon County woman couldn’t believe her eyes after winning $1 million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Millionaire Maker II instant game.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at the Wesco gas station, located at 1025 East Pontaluna Road in Spring Lake. Spring Lake is about 10 miles South of Muskegon.

“I like to play all kinds of Lottery games and decided on the new Millionaire Maker II game while I was at the store” said the 78-year-old player. “When I realized I’d won $1 million, I couldn’t believe it! I had my friend look the ticket over to make sure it was real.”

The player visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum of about $634,000 rather than annuity payments totaling $1 million. She plans to save her winnings.

Players have won more than $11 million playing Millionaire Maker II, which launched in September. Each $20 ticket offered players a chance to win prizes ranging from $40 up to $1 million. More than $89 million in prizes remain, including nine $1 million top prizes, 26 $5,000 prizes, and 1,613 $500 prizes.

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

In 2020, Lottery players won more than $1.5 billion playing instant games.

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

Posted on October 26, 2021 by MI_Lottery

A Wayne County educator known for creating a safe space for students to learn has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Lisa Younce, is a first-grade teacher at Oakman Elementary School. The school is part of Dearborn 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 Younce will air this evening.

Younce said making connections with her students and watching them grow is what drew her to a career as an educator.

“I love making a lifelong connection with my students and their families. I enjoy watching my students grow and do my best to keep up with them throughout their educational career. Seeing a student who was shy or nervous or had difficulty in a subject grow and show their confidence drives me to keep teaching! While my students are the overall main reason I am here, having an amazing principal, grade level partner, and colleagues truly makes it easier to show up every day as well.

Younce said reading with her students and teaching mindfulness are some of the most enjoyable parts of being an educator. She also enjoys visiting her students’ homes twice a year as part of the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project.

“I enjoy reading with my students to give them the confidence they need to reach their goals. I really like our class songs to line up, for a new word on our word wall, and phonics songs. During brain breaks, we like to meditate and do yoga. During summer school I taught mindfulness in which we wrote in a daily gratitude journal, practiced yoga, and meditated. I feel this really helped students learn coping skills for the difficult years we’ve had recently.”

A classroom volunteer nominated Younce for the award. The nomination cited her ability to create a space where students felt safe.

“Ms. Younce is a spectacular teacher; she loves all of her students and goes above and beyond what she is asked to do. She teaches her kids kindness and gives them support needed in every setting she is placed in whether it be virtual or in class. Some kids come from another country and have a hard transition, some even lack the English language, and Ms. Younce has taught these kids to understand and speak English and lets them know that her classroom and school are a safe place to learn and talk. These kids love her and she loves them just as much.”

Younce earned degrees from the University of Michigan Dearborn. She has been an educator for six years, all with Oakman Elementary.

Outstanding public-school educators may be nominated for an Excellence in Education award at http://bit.ly/ExcellenceInEducation or through the websites of the Lottery’s media partner stations.

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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Holiday-Themed Games from Michigan Lottery Offer Chances to Stuff Stockings and Pockets with Cash

Posted on October 25, 2021 by MI_Lottery

The holiday season is coming, and the Michigan Lottery is ready to celebrate with four holiday-themed instant games offering big prizes!

Starting tomorrow, Lottery players will have the opportunity to buy four different holiday-themed instant games. This season’s instant games are:

  • Candy Cane Cash -$1 ticket with 400 top prizes of $500 and more than $5.5 million in total cash prizes.
  • Season’s Joy -$2 ticket with top prizes of $30,000 and more than $9.5 million in total cash prizes.
  • Holiday Magic -$5 ticket with top prizes of $300,000 and more than $18 million in total prizes.
  • Peppermint Payout Millions -$10 ticket with top prizes of $500,000 and more than $27 million in total prizes.

Lottery instant game tickets make great gifts for adults in the upcoming holiday season.

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

In 2020, Lottery players won more than $1.5 billion playing instant games

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