Kent County Woman Wins $1 Million Playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Cherry Instant Game

Posted on March 14, 2025 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketChoosing a different ticket led to a Kent County woman winning a $1 million prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s Wild Cherry instant game.

“The store didn’t have the game I wanted to buy, so I decided to try my luck on the Wild Cherry game,” said the lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous. “I scratched the bar code and scanned the ticket. When I read the message that I needed to file a claim I thought I had won $10,000.

“I gave the ticket back to the clerk and had her check it. She helped me scratch the rest of it off, and when she saw I had hit $1 million, she screamed: ‘She just won $1 million!’”

“Never knowing when you might find a winning ticket is part of what makes playing instant games fun,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Winning $1 million, especially on a game you are playing for the first time, is an incredibly exciting way to win!”

The lucky player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her big prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $693,000, rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to buy a new home and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $25 million playing Wild Cherry which launched in September 2024. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million. More than $27 million in prizes remain, including one $1 million top prize, 14 $10,000 prizes, and 119 $2,000 prizes.

In 2023, Lottery players won nearly $1.8 billion playing instant games.

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

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Record Setting $677,141 Club Keno The Jack Prize Won by Wayne County Man

Posted on March 13, 2025 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Wayne County man headed for home after realizing he’d won a record-setting $677,141 Club Keno The Jack prize.

The lucky player, who chose to remain anonymous, matched nine of the winning numbers drawn in draw 2438250: 07-14-42-44-52-61-62-63-69. The winning ticket was bought at JP’s Trolley Stop, located at 8820 Pelham Road in Taylor.

The $677,141 The Jack prize is the largest ever won on the Club Keno game. The previous Club Keno The Jack record was $503,254. That prize was won in August 2023 at Fletcher’s Pub #2 in Kalamazoo.

“I don’t usually play The Jack, but when I saw how high it had gotten I decided I better give it a shot, “ said the 54-year-old player. “When I checked the ticket on my phone and saw I won, I immediately left the bar. It was overwhelming and emotional to win such a huge amount of money!”

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

The Jack is a Club Keno add-on game that players may add to their Club Keno wager for $1 per draw. With The Jack, players get nine 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 nine 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.

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Wayne County Woman Wins $25,000 a Year for Life from the Michigan Lottery Playing Lucky For Life

Posted on March 12, 2025 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Wayne County woman says winning a $25,000 a year for life Lucky For Life prize from the Michigan Lottery “just feels good!”

Charmaine Tate, of Van Buren Township, won the big prize when her Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on February 9: 08-13-22-28-39. She bought her winning ticket at the Canton Mini Mart, located at 42421 Cherry Hill Road in Canton.

“I am an avid Lottery player and have always dreamed of winning a huge prize,” said Tate. “When I checked the ticket at the retailer, none of us could believe what we were seeing!”

Tate, 51, visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim her prize. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000, rather than annuity payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater. With her winnings, she plans to buy a new home.

“I have always thought about how it would feel and what I would do if I won but never expected to find out. Winning just feels good!” Tate 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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$250,000 Powerball Ticket Expires; Prize Goes to State School Aid Fund

Posted on March 11, 2025 by MI_Lottery

PowerballA $250,000 winning Powerball ticket expired today, and the prize went to the state School Aid Fund.

The ticket expired at 4:45 p.m. It was purchased at the Kroger store, located at 4099 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills.

“While we want all players to claim the prizes they’ve won, providing an extra $250,000 to the School Aid Fund today is a big win for public education in Michigan,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Last year, the Lottery contributed more than $1 billion to the School Aid Fund for the sixth year in a row and we’re on-track for another great year in FY25.”

Powerball tickets are valid for one year from the drawing date.

The record for an unclaimed Lottery prize in Michigan was set in 1998 when a $34 million prize went unclaimed. The winning Michigan Lotto game ticket was purchased at the Meijer located at 1350 West Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing.

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

Posted on March 11, 2025 by MI_Lottery
Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli, presents Brian Milliron with his Excellence in Education check.

Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli, presents Brian Milliron with his Excellence in Education check.

A Muskegon County educator known for preparing his students for life beyond high school has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Brian Milliron, is a high school social studies teacher and coach at Whitehall High School.

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 $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award 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, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Milliron will air this evening.

“Preparing students for life beyond high school is critical to maintaining successful communities throughout Michigan and beyond,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Brian’s commitment to helping students prepare for whatever is next in their journey is inspiring.”

Milliron’s experience in high school inspired him to become an educator and his students motivate him each day.

“My high school teachers were my coaches and I loved the interaction during my high school days and  this was a driving force to get me into the profession. My love for the social studies content was due to high school teachers like Ron Spitzer at Buckley Community Schools and Dr. Roger Durham at Aquinas College. I am well aware of how lucky I am to be able to teach and coach at Whitehall with some of the brightest kids in the state along with some of the best teachers in the state. Preparing students for their post high school career is an important job that I take seriously.”

Milliron was nominated for the award by his daughter.

“Brian Milliron has been a social studies teacher and coach for the last 19 years and has always gone above and beyond for his students. At school, Brian teaches seniors in Government and AP US History, coaches the Varsity Girls Basketball team and the JV/Varsity Quiz Bowl teams. Brian is dedicated to helping his seniors that are going into the work force, the military, or higher education. Outside of school, Brian participates in a number of organizations to improve his teaching and knowledge. He was the 2018 James Madison Fellow for Michigan, a four-term board member on the Michigan Council for the Social Studies, works as a Docent for the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, and has been the VFW District Teacher of the Year for the past four years.”

Milliron earned a bachelor’s degree Aquinas College, and master’s degrees from Grand Valley State University and Ashland University. He has been an educator for 19 years, the last six 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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