Muskegon County Woman Wins $500,000 Playing Michigan Lottery’s 777 Jackpot Instant Game

Posted on October 11, 2024 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA Muskegon County woman had a random urge to buy a lottery ticket and ended up winning a $500,000 prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s 777 Jackpot instant game!

The lucky 64-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at the McCormick gas station, located at 1845 White Lake Drive in Whitehall. Whitehall is about 15 miles northwest of Muskegon.

“It hadn’t played the Lottery in a while, but I had a random urge to purchase an instant ticket one day,” said the player. “I scratched the ticket when I got home and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I revealed a $500,000 prize! I told my husband the good news by showing him my winning ticket.

“Winning this prize will allow me to become debt free, and that is going to be a great feeling!”

The player visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim her big prize. With her winnings, she plans to pay bills and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $5 million playing the 777 Jackpot instant game, which launched in August. Each $5 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $5 up to $500,000. More than $25 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 prizes and 25 $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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South Carolina Man Wins $2 Million Playing Michigan Lottery’s $2,000,000 Mega Multiplier Instant Game

Posted on October 10, 2024 by MI_Lottery

Michael Buckner holding $2 million checkA South Carolina man opted to buy instant tickets instead of going to the casino and it paid off in a big way when he won $2 million playing the $2,000,000 Mega Multiplier instant game!

Michael Buckner, 58, bought his winning ticket at the Gladstone Mobil, located at 2009 Lake Shore Drive in Gladstone. Gladstone is about 10 miles northeast of Escanaba.

“I live in South Carolina, but I work in Escanaba,” said Buckner. “I was trying to decide between going to the casino or buying instant tickets and ended up deciding to buy instant tickets. When I scratched off the $2,000,000 Mega Multiplier game and saw I won $2 million, I didn’t think it was real. I called my girlfriend to tell her what I won, but she didn’t believe it either. It still hasn’t fully sunk in!”

“Michael made a winning decision when he spent $20 to buy a $2,000,000 Mega Multiplier instant game ticket,” said Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli. “Instant games are a popular choice with players throughout Michigan and helped the Lottery post a contribution of more than $1 billion to the School Aid Fund in the 2024 fiscal year for the sixth consecutive year.”

Buckner recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With his winnings, he plans to pay bills, share with his family, and then save the remainder.

Players have won more than $12 million playing $2,000,000 Mega Multiplier which launched in September. Each $20 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $20 up to $2 million. More than $96 million in prizes remain, including two $2 million top prizes, 19 $10,000 prizes, and 208 $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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Kalamazoo Lottery Club Wins $1 Million Mega Millions Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on October 9, 2024 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA lucky feeling led a Kalamazoo lottery club to winning a $1 million Mega Millions prize!

The two-member Blue Bridge lottery club matched the five white balls in the Sept. 3 drawing to win the big prize: 12-41-43-52-55. They bought the winning ticket at the Y & K Party Store, located at 5658 South Division Avenue in Kentwood.

“Congratulations to the members of the Blue Bridge lottery club on a huge $1 million Mega Millions win,” said Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli. “The Blue Bridge club is one of six lucky winners of at least $1 million on the Mega Millions game in 2024!”

“I had a lucky feeling, so I stopped into the party store to buy a Mega Millions ticket,” said a club member. “When I went back to the store a few days later, I saw a new banner hanging up that said they sold a $1 million Mega Millions prize and was bummed it wasn’t me.

“A few days after that, I scanned some Lottery tickets I had in my wallet and got a message to file a claim on one of them. I took out my phone and scanned the Mega Millions ticket on my Lottery app, and when the amount of $1 million came up with confetti, I thought: ‘This cannot be real!’ I scanned it a few more times to make sure I was seeing it right.

“I always see the big Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots on billboards and say to myself: ‘I would be happy with just $1 million!’ It feels surreal that it actually happened!”

“Winning still hasn’t sunk in for our club, it feels like a dream for the club members!” said the club’s representative, Austin Beaudet.

The club visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim their prize. They plan to invest their winnings.

Mega Millions drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday evening. Each Mega Millions play is only $2. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a “Megaplier” that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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

Posted on October 8, 2024 by MI_Lottery
Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli (right), presenting Marvin Ray (left) with his Excellence in Education check

Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli (right), presenting Marvin Ray (left) with his Excellence in Education check

A Wayne County educator known for his strong commitment to student success has been honored with an Excellence In Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Marvin Ray, teaches AP African Americans studies and U.S. History and Law studies at Cass Technical High School. The school is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

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 Ray will air this evening.

“As an alum of Cass Technical High School and now a teacher there, Marvin Ray is an inspiration to his students and recognized as an educator who can be counted on to serve as a mentor,” said Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli. “His dedication to fostering a love of learning in his students and providing an equitable learning experience in his classroom make him very deserving of the Excellence in Education award.”

Ray says his family fostered a love of learning and literacy early on and he wanted to have an impact in his community.

“From a young age, I have always enjoyed learning. Throughout my formative years I had an extremely strong support system with my parents and grandparents, all of whom were huge champions of literacy and education. To put it simply, I enjoyed learning in school but learning at home was more fun. However, what I did not always enjoy was the lens through which some topics were covered in the classroom.

“By my senior year of high school, I realized that a career in education would allow me to meaningfully impact my community by addressing some of the systemic issues that sometimes discourage students from marginalized groups from fully enjoying the process of classroom learning.”

Ray was nominated for the award by a lifelong family friend.

“Marvin Ray is a dedicated educator at Cass Technical High School. He mentors the male students to strive to be the best that they can be. He has taught social studies, history, civics and is now an AP educator introducing his students to businesses by leading field trips and demonstrating how they are operating. He introduces students to business leaders to meet mentors and develop skills that enhance vision, goal setting, and teaches them their ideas can come to fruition. He spends countless hours in preparation to demonstrate that their hard work will lead to success. I am extremely proud of his motivation and dedication towards his students. He is the pinnacle of success proving to his students that giving back to their communities creates a generational gain to others. Cass Technical High School is his alma mater, and he loves what they have instilled in him enough to do the same for his students.”

Ray earned a bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State University and Wayne State University. He has been an educator for 16 years, the last two 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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Kalamazoo County Woman Wins $2 Million Playing Michigan Lottery’s Colossal Cashword Instant Game

Posted on October 7, 2024 by MI_Lottery

Winning TicketA 33-year-old Kalamazoo County woman started screaming when she scratched her Colossal Cashword ticket and saw she won $2 million!

The lucky 33-year-old player, who chose to remain anonymous, bought her winning ticket at Hoffman’s Corner Store, located at 5905 South Westnedge Avenue in Portage.

“Colossal Cashword has been my favorite game since it came out,” said the player. “I scratched the barcode right when I bought the ticket and gave it to the clerk to scan it. He handed it back with a slip that said to file a claim at the Lottery office and said: ‘You must have won big; you have to go to the Lottery office!’

“I went home and scratched the ticket, and when I revealed the tenth word and saw it was a prize of $2 million, I started screaming! Winning feels good and came at the perfect time.”

“Instant games, like Colossal Cashword, are a favorite among players,” said Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli. “In the last fiscal year, instant games accounted for $2.3 billion of Lottery’s sales, leading to a sixth straight contribution of more than $1 billion to the School Aid Fund.”

The player recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize. She chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $1.3 million rather than annuity payments for the full amount. With her winnings, she plans to pay bills and then save the remainder for her kids.

Players have won more than $59 million playing Colossal Cashword which launched in Sept. 2023. Each $30 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $30 up to $2 million. More than $58 million in prizes remain, including two $2 million top prizes, 13 $10,000 prizes, and 91 $5,000 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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