Michigan Lottery Connect

“Play It Again” $1,000,000 Giveaway! winner Judith M. Powell of Essexville with former “Brady Bunch” star Christopher Knight.

Winner of the “Play It Again” $1,000,000 Giveaway! Judith M. Powell and her daughter share a hug after her big win!

On Thursday, September 13 the Michigan Lottery aired the “Play It Again” $1,000,000 Giveaway! The three contestants played a dice game in which each of them electronically rolled virtual dice. The one with the highest score after rolling twice won the game. The lucky winner of the giveaway was Judith Powell of Essexville. Powell could not contain her excitement when host Christopher Knight of “Brady Bunch” fame announced she was the winner. She jumped up and down, hugged her family and sported a huge grin.

“This is wonderful, Powell said, especially since I didn’t believe it when the Lottery first called me.” Powell thought she was being scammed when she was contacted by phone after winning the drawing to become the third finalist eligible to compete for the prize. “I didn’t really believe it until I got the e-mail from the Lottery.”

The three finalists were chosen from more than 9,888,000 entries. The other two finalists were Evelyn Welch from L’Anse and Robert Helmink from Wyoming. They each received a $5,000 appearance fee for their participation.

The “Play It Again” $1,000,000 Giveaway began late last year. Players qualified for the Second Chance event by entering non-winning Lottery tickets into their Player’s Club account at michiganlottery.com. For every $10 worth of non-winning tickets entered, the player earned one entry into the contest. Separate finalist drawings were held on December 14, 2011, April 4, and August 8 with one finalist being chosen from each drawing.

The Michigan Lottery has already begun accepting entries for the next “Play It Again” $1,000,000 Second Chance Giveaway! scheduled to take place in September 2013.

For more information on “Play It Again” and other Lottery games, visit the Lottery’s Web site at www.michiganlottery.com.

Watch the televised drawing here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJaXqjnfA88&feature=youtu.be

Contact:  Andi Brancato, PR Director  517-335-5648
Agency:  Michigan Lottery Public Relations

LANSING, September 12, 2012 – On Thursday, September 13 you can have a front row seat for the excitement of watching three enthusiastic Lottery players compete to become Michigan’s latest millionaire!

The Michigan Lottery’s “Play It Again” $1,000,000 Giveaway will air at 7:55 p.m. on the following stations: WBKB Channel 11 in Alpena; WDIV Channel 4 in Detroit; WNEM Channel 5 in Flint; WXSP Channel 15 in Grand Rapids; WLAJ Channel 53 in Lansing; WLUC Channel 6 in Marquette; WMKG Channel 40 in Muskegon; and WGTU Channel 29/WGTQ Channel 8 in Traverse City.

If you liked the Lottery’s “Make Me Rich! show, then you will enjoy watching the “Play It Again” $1,000,000 Giveaway! It’s the richest three minutes in television! Just like “Make Me Rich!” the $1,000,000 Giveaway will be hosted by former “Brady Bunch” star Christopher Knight.

The three finalists were chosen from more than 9,888,000 entries for the opportunity to win the $1,000,000 prize. The players represent a broad area of the state. They hail from Wyoming, near Grand Rapids; Essexville, on the Saginaw Bay and L’Anse, in the Upper Peninsula on Keweenaw Bay.

The “Play It Again” Giveaway began late last year. Players qualified for the Second-Chance event by entering non-winning Lottery tickets into their Player’s Club account at michiganlottery.com. For every $10 worth of non-winning tickets entered, the player earned one entry into the contest. Three separate finalist drawings were held on December 14, 2011, April 4, and August 8 with one finalist being chosen from each drawing.

The lucky winner will choose between a lump sum payment of the prize or annuitized payments of $50,000 for 20 years.

Over 95 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In fiscal year 2011, the contribution to schools was over $727.3 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed over $16 billion to education in Michigan.

For information on all Lottery games, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at www.michiganlottery.com.

“The Michigan Lottery. All across the state good things happen.”