A lucky lottery player from Michigan recently won a double jackpot when he played Fantasy 5 in Oakland County. The 67-year-old lottery player won the lottery twice when he accidentally purchases the same ticket Fantasy 5 ticket twice. Lucky for the Oakland-based lottery player, his mistake paid off, allowing him to take home more than $240,000 in winnings.
The 67-year-old lottery winner attributes his lucky win to his consistency. According to reports, the local player has been purchasing a multi-draw Fantasy 5 ticket every week for the last 4 years. Whenever he purchases the multi-draw Fantasy 5 ticket, the Oakland resident plays the same set of numbers without fail.
With his same set of numbers 04-10-12-20-30, the lottery player won the jackpot worth $120,169 twice, therefore allowing him to take home $240,000 in jackpot earnings. When asked what he intended to use the money for, the 67-year-old stated that he would invest the cash into his son’s education and then save the remainder.
Not too long ago, yet another lottery player from the state walked almost missed out on a massive lottery prize when she almost threw away a winning ticket. The female lottery player almost threw out her ticket but decided to double-check it only to find out that she was the holder of a $1 million instant lottery ticket.
The 30-year-old lottery player, who opted to remain anonymous, decided to purchase 2 Sizzling Hot 7 Tickets since Sizzling Hot 7 is one of the newer lottery games in the market. After scratching the tickets, she thought they were both losers before putting them in a trash bag with some other items to throw away.
Right before the threw them out the trash the next morning, she decided to glance over the tickets one more time only to discover that she had actually won $1 million. The female lottery player is said to have purchased her ticket from the Quik Stop at Hansen.
It has been a busy month for lottery players in Michigan. In just the first 2 months of the year, 24 lottery players in the state had successfully collected approximately $100,000 in cash prizes. Among the collective prizes, at least 4 winners walked away with $1 million or more.
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The Michigan Lottery continues impressive performance
Last year, the Michigan Lottery handed out $1 million and more to 49 lucky lottery players. This year, the number of winners is expected to be even higher as more and more individuals continue to embrace gambling in all forms. According to the Michigan Lottery Commission, lottery players in the state played lotteries worth $4.9 billion in 2022.
Based on the annual report from the Lottery Commission, the total prize winnings recorded last year were the highest that the state has ever recorded in its history. Combined prize winnings for 2022 surpassed $3.1 billion. As a result, more than $1 billion in lottery sales was directed to the Michigan education fund.
Based on the financial report from 2022, the Michigan Lottery gave a total of $1.25 billion to the Michigan School Aid Fund. Over the last 50 years, the lottery has been contributing to the school aid fund, which helps needy students complete their education. Last year marked the 4th consecutive contribution to schools across Michigan that exceeded $1 billion.
During the 50 years that the Michigan Lottery has been in existence, it has managed to raise more than $27 billion which has been directed to public education in the state. Lottery officials estimate that for each dollar spent on a lottery ticket in the state last year, approximately 25 cents were sent to the state School Aid Fund.
Michigan still remains one of the strictest states as far as payouts are concerned. Lottery prize money represents over 60% of total sales. Although Michigan’s payouts are strict, the state also boasts the 6th highest rate of returning funds to the local government. As per state law, the lottery must send all its net earnings to the state.
The state has also experienced considerable growth in the last 5 years. According to the state Lottery Commission, the combined sales rose by 47% in the state, which generated more than $1.57 billion. Today, scratch-offs represent more than 50% of total lottery sales, which is a far cry from 10 or 15 years ago.
One of the biggest draws of the lottery in 2022 was the brand-new $50 scratch-off ticket, which was unveiled for the first time last year. The $50 scratch-off ticket was released to celebrate 50 years of the lottery in the state.
This first instant game, known as the $300 million Diamond Riches, gave punters multiple opportunities to win an array of cash prizes starting from a low $50 to a much higher $6 million. The $6 million Diamond Riches prize was the biggest prize that has ever been offered on an instant game in the state.
Lottery online games in Michigan, also known as the iLottery, have also grown in popularity. Last year, the iLottery generated $193.2 million, which is a far cry from the $18 million that was generated in 2015. The biggest lotteries in the country, namely the Mega Millions and Powerball, are the most popular among lottery players in Michigan and also experience the most massive ups and downs.
Last year, the Michigan Lottery signed a strategic partnership with a gaming technology company from Louisville known as EQL Games. As a result of this deal, EQL Games has been providing instant games to the state lottery. Today, the ilottery supplies punters in the state with more than 16o lottery games.
Final Thoughts
Most of the games on offer are instant. However, several lottery games are a cross between slot games and scratch-off tickets. As online casino games and mobile sportsbooks have continued to gain popularity, lotteries have been placed at risk of extinction.
However, partnerships such as these with EQL Games are helping to bring lotteries online. Moving forward the Michigan Lottery Commission will want to do everything possible to ensure that lottery lovers are entertained with as much array of lottery options available.
