The first ever lottery draw in Michigan took place in November 1972. Fast-forward to today and you will find multiple draws including the huge multi-state prizes, MI-only jackpots, scratch cards, instant games, and keno. There are second-chance games for losing draw tickets, plus regular bonuses and promotions available via Michigan’s online lottery website and the official Michigan Lottery app.

Exclusions may be set by an online player through the ‘Responsible Gaming Tools’ section in ‘My Account’ or with the help of a Michigan Lottery Support Center representative upon request. So, upon approval, the player’s name will be added to a self-exclusion list of names and that player will be effectively be banned from Mi Lottery. Michigan Lottery's official online site with 24 hour instant games online. View current jackpots & winning numbers. Register for exclusive rewards and bonuses. Michigan has a track record of being relatively progressive when it comes to legal online gambling, including through the Michigan Online Lottery, which was one of the first of its kind in the nation. The state went live in August 2014 and allowed users to purchase lottery tickets online as well as virtual scratch off tickets.

This page has everything you need to understand how the Michigan Lottery works. First, the draws are covered – including both MI-only games and the Mega Millions/Powerball multi-state games. Scratch cards, online games, deposit methods and bonuses are then outlined.

Multi-state lottery draws in Michigan

Residents of Michigan can take part in two huge lottery draws that operate in 45 states – the Mega Millions draw and the Powerball.

Mega Millions

Mega Millions takes place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You can buy a ticket via retail outlets or online for $2. You have the option to add the ‘Megaplier’ for an extra dollar. With the Megaplier option added, you can increase any minor jackpot prize by 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x.

When you buy Mega Millions tickets online you have the option to get them one at a time, or up to 10 at a time. You can also use the ‘Easy Pick’ system to choose random numbers.

To play the Mega Millions you pick five white ball numbers between 1 and 70, as well as a Megaball number between one and 25.

The smallest prize comes when you hit the ‘Megaball’ on its own, which awards you your money back. One or two white balls matched alongside the Megaball will pay $4 and $10, respectively. There are two huge prizes to be won in the Mega Millions draw. First, if you match all five of your white balls, you are guaranteed a prize of $1 million. If you are lucky enough to match all five white balls plus the Megaball you win the jackpot.

In October 2018, the largest ever Mega Millions jackpot prize was claimed by a ticket holder in South Carolina. The prize of $1.537 billion was claimed in March 2019, with the winner choosing to remain anonymous.

Powerball

The Powerball also takes place twice a week – this time on Wednesdays and Sundays. This multi-state draw has huge jackpots. You can buy tickets directly though the Michigan Lottery website – or head to a retail outlet.

A ticket for the Powerball costs $2, with the added option of increasing the ticket cost to $3 by adding the Powerplay. This Powerplay will multiply the non-jackpot prizes by up to 10x. To play the Powerball, you pick five white ball numbers between one and 69, and a single red Powerball number between one and 26.

Prizes start at $4 for hitting the Powerball. Three white balls, or two white balls and the Powerball increase the prize to $7, with prizes then increasing quickly. If you hit four white balls alongside the Powerball, you are guaranteed $50,000, while matching all five white balls will make you an instant millionaire. Hitting all five white balls and the Powerball awards you the jackpot.

Michigan Lottery Online Gambling Real Money

The largest prize ever in the Powerball lottery came in January 2016, when three ticket holders shared an annuity of approximately $1.586 billion.

Lucky for Life

The final multi-state game available via the Michigan State Lottery has a different prize structure. This pays winners $1000 every day for the rest of their lives. It is available in 26 states, and costs $2 to enter for the twice-weekly draw.

To play you pick five white numbers between one and 48, plus a lucky ball number between 1 and 18. There are smaller prizes, including $25,000 per year for life if you match the white numbers without hitting the lucky ball number.

In-state lottery draws in Michigan

While the multi-state draws attract the big headlines, there are plenty of ways to win big prizes in lottery draws that are available only in Michigan. Prizes of over $26 million have been paid on these in-state draws. Here are the highlights:

• Lotto 47: This is the biggest of the MI-only draws. Tickets come at the cost of $1. You pick six numbers between one and 47. You can purchase up to 60 draw tickets in advance. Match three of the six numbers to win $10, four of the six to win $200 and five of the six to win $5,000. Match all six numbers and you win the jackpot, which starts at a cool $1 million. The biggest win in this draw to date is an incredible $23.6 million in March 2008.
• Fantasy 5: This is a Michigan daily lottery draw, where you pick five numbers between one and 39, with tickets costing just $1. Match two numbers to double your cash, while three and four numbers pay $20 and $200, respectively. Match all five numbers to win the jackpot prize which starts at $100,000. The draw takes place every day at 7:29pm.
• Daily 3/Daily 4: The Daily 3 and Daily 4 draws (that are each, in fact, drawn twice daily) offer picks in a series of combinations, where you can win a variety of prizes up to a maximum of $5,000.
• Club Keno: This game takes place every few minutes, seven days a week, starting at 6am and ending at 1:59am daily. Tickets can be bought in-store and come at the cost of just $1. Club Keno features a jackpot prize that can reach as high as $2 million, with a variety of different prizes for matching various combinations of numbers.

Other available games include instant Keno (that costs $1 a ticket and offers a top prize of $250,000), and Poker Lotto (that costs $2 per ticket and has a top prize of $100,000).

Michigan Lottery: Scratch card games

Scratch cards can be purchased at retail outlets. There are many long-standing cards, along with seasonal and special themed ones that come and go. Prices start at $1 and go up to $20. Some cards have top prizes of $2 million, with many six-figure prizes available.

There are two ways that the Michigan Lottery website can help you to win on scratch cards.

First, there is a second chance drawing for losing cards. You can win instant prizes by entering a special code. Second, you can see how many of the biggest jackpots are still unclaimed for different cards.

For example, you might check the site to find that one $5 card type has three big jackpots remaining, while a different brand of the same value does not have any remaining jackpots. Many of the instant games on the lottery website are electronic versions of scratch cards.

Here are some of the popular games:

• Wild Time: These cards have top prizes starting at $30,000 (for $2) tickets, up to $300,000. There are also versions with progressive jackpots.
• Wheelof Fortune: This game show-themed card costs $2, and has a wheel code game plus two wild bonuses for smaller wins. The top prize is $50,000.
• Lucky 7’s: This is a regular game with different prize levels. Tickets start at $1 for the $5,000 top prize version. Hit the ‘Win All’ message to win all five prizes.
• Win for Life: This $2 scratch card gives you a shot at winning $1000 per week for the rest of your life. Match any of your winning numbers to win up to 12 times
• 50x The Cash: A range of cards based on a number, times the cash theme. This $10 card has a top prize of $1 million. Match numbers and get a multiplier between 2x and 50x to win.

Other similar games include the range of pull tab games. These cards involve pulling a perforated layer to reveal prizes.

Instant online lottery games

You can also enjoy almost 100 instant games that can be played online at the official Michigan Lottery site.

The majority of these stick to the scratch card format. A good example is ‘Instant Football Payout’, a scratch card-themed game based on football. You simply click on the nine footballs displayed on the card and if you reveal three matching amounts, that is what you win. A multiplier reveal can also boost that win. This game pays $100,000 as a top prize.

There are games themed on Wheel of Fortune, plus quirky-themed ones like Fuzzball Keno and Cats vs Dogs.

You can also play instant Keno games (to go alongside the draws featuring the game) and a series of Ca$hbuster games (including Ca$hbuster Bonus, Extreme and Towers).

Check out the full list of instant online games by clicking the ‘filter by online’ check box on the Michigan Lottery online games list at the website.

Michigan online lottery bonuses

You can enjoy a welcome bonus the first time you make a deposit at the Michigan Lottery website. This is a 50% boost to that first deposit, up to a maximum of $100. You need to deposit $200 to get the maximum amount – with a minimum of just $10 needed for a $5 bonus.

In addition to the bonus cash, you will also be awarded free games of Treetop Treasures. You can keep track of your bonuses via the website under the ‘My Bonuses’ tab.

Other bonuses and promotions

The Michigan Lottery offers ongoing deals and specials/one-off promotions to keep registered players engaged. Many offers are short-term. The list below gives you a snapshot of the type of deals to expect:

• Daily Spin to Win: Each day when you log in to your account, you get to spin a bonus wheel. Up to 1,000 prizes a day are available. You can win free coupons, money off and bonuses for both online and retail purchases.
• Let’s Play Giveaway: Play one of the selected games for this bonus and you will be entered into a draw. Play all 15 selected games and you get 15 tickets in that draw. The lucky winner of the draw will win $5,000, while 50 runners up will all have their accounts boosted by $100.
• In-Store Game Offers and Promo Codes: Buy a ticket at a retailer and you will often find a Michigan lottery promo code, or a bonus offer on the back. Some of these offers are ideal if you have not yet signed up for the online lottery site. They include free-play on specific games and draw entries.
• Second Chance: This involves scratch cards that did not win the first time around. You enter a code from the card for a shot at winning cash prizes.

Michigan Lottery deposit options

Funding your lottery account is simple, with a lot of the same methods you would use for online purchases. Here are the most popular methods:

• Credit or Debit Cards: You can make instant deposits to your account using Visa or MasterCard-branded debit and credit cards. Simply enter your card details online along with the deposit amount and the funds will hit your account in moments.
• PayPal: This electronic wallet company makes for an ideal way of funding a lottery account. Use the funds from your PayPal to make a direct deposit to your account. This is an ideal method if you are unsure about sharing banking details online.
• ACH Bank Transfer: Make an instant transfer to your account using an e-check (instant bank transfer).
• Neteller: Similar to PayPal, this is another third-party company that allows you to fund online accounts independent of your bank, debit or credit card.
• Online Game Card: You can purchase an online game card at any of the retailers where the Michigan Lottery is available. You simply purchase the card in the store for the amount you want, and you will be given a code on a ticket (this ticket looks just like a lottery entry). You enter this code online and the funds will be credited to your account. This is an ideal deposit method for those who want to deposit with cash.

Good causes supported by the Michigan Lottery

Every time you play the lottery you will be contributing to education, local businesses and supporting companies that employ residents of Michigan. More than $23 billion has gone to the school aid fund since the inception of the lottery in 1972. The education fund is the lottery’s primary mission. Local retailers have benefitted from being in the lottery, with more than 10,000 retailers benefiting from a commission of more than $250 million annually.

The Michigan Lottery mission statement

The Michigan State Lottery strives:

• To maximize net revenues to supplement state education programs.
• To provide fun and entertaining games of chance.
• To operate all games and bureau functions with nothing less than total integrity.

The lottery in Michigan began in November 1972. The original ‘Green Ticket’ lottery paid out its first million-dollar prize in February the following year. That first winner was Hermus Millsaps, a 53-year old Chrysler worker from Taylor, MI. To collect their prize, Mr. Millsaps and his wife spent all of their money on the bus fare to Lansing.

Instant games followed in 1975, and the first ever ‘Michigan Lotto’ was drawn in 1984. The first ever inter-state Big Game (now Mega Millions) ticket was sold in August 1996. With regular additions and the newly revamped online site, the lottery has come a long way in the Wolverine State.

Michigan Lottery responsible gaming

There is a detailed section of the lottery website dedicated to responsible gaming, featuring the following statement:

‘Michigan Lottery games are designed to be fun and exciting entertainment. While millions of players enjoy our games responsibly each year, some individuals display signs of problem gambling behavior. For those individuals, the Michigan Lottery is committed to providing tools, information, and assistance finding help. As part of that effort, the Michigan Lottery provides $1 million each year to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to support statewide education and treatment programs for problem gambling.’

Safeguards in place include self-exclusion (taking an extended break from playing) and deposit limits (players can set daily or weekly limits). Players will have to prove they are residents of Michigan and go through an age verification process to play (residents have to be over the age of 18 to enjoy the lottery).

Playing the Michigan Lottery online

Michigan has more options for lottery players than most states. This includes big MI draws, in addition to the popular multi-state pools. You can buy tickets online for games including Powerball, Mega Millions and Lucky for Life.

Retail outlets offer scratch cards, pull tab games and keno. You can also enjoy these games in electronic format online and also via the official Michigan Lottery app. The MI Lottery offer new players of their virtual games a 50% welcome bonus, plus plenty of promotions and special offers. You will also get a second chance online with many losing retail tickets. Best of all, the Michigan Lottery is run for the benefit of local good causes.

The Michigan House Ways and Means Committee recently held a hearing to discuss several gaming expansions under consideration by the legislature, including online gambling.

Michigan is the leading candidate to pass online gambling legislation in 2019, and the hearing was believed to be nothing more than the next step in that process. And that’s how it started.

The hearing was chaired by the bill’s sponsor and online gambling supporter Rep. Brandt Iden.

Iden did an excellent job laying out all the reasons Michigan should legalize online gambling, and everything was moving along as expected. That was until representatives from the state budget office testified.

Channeling concerns from the governor’s administration, the budget office explained how it harbored the same cannibalization concerns that led to former Gov. Rick Snyder’s veto of a similar piece of legislation last year.

The fear: Michigan online gambling will cut into the money the state receives from its successful lottery. That lottery includes a thriving online component.

Are the MI lottery fears warranted?

If it passes online gambling legislation, Michigan would be one of only two states with both a legal online lottery and online casino games. Pennsylvania has also legalized both, but the launch of PA online casinos is still several months away.

So with no market to base its projections from, the budget office was left to speculate. The conclusion it reached was one out of every $6 spent at online casinos would be poached from the MI online lottery.

Intuitively, it makes sense.

The online lottery’s instant win games bear a striking resemblance to online slot machines. So much so that the average person would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. And that’s where the cannibalization concerns stem from.

However, these same concerns have been raised every time a new delivery method has come along.

It happened when online casino games were legalized in New Jersey, only it was speculated that the land-based casino industry would bear the brunt of the cannibalization.

That never came to pass. In fact, online casinos have been good for the New Jersey land-based casino industry.

Similarly, brick-and-mortar retailers were adamantly opposed to online lotteries, claiming it would diminish foot traffic and sales. That also turned out to not be the case. The budget office even admitted Michigan’s lottery retailers have benefitted from the presence of online lottery during the hearing.

Yet, the lottery is extremely concerned that online casinos will cannibalize its revenue. And because of a lower tax rate, the budget office believes that cannibalization will cost the state millions of dollars each year.

Is it really different this time for MI lottery and online casino?

Will online casinos in Michigan cannibalize the states’s online lottery?

The truth is, no one really knows.

As noted, the games are very similar.

Beyond that, online slot machines are also more evolved when it comes to features, gameplay and selection. And with a lower tax rate, online slots should theoretically have a better return to player (RTP) than the lottery’s instant win games.

That said, all available evidence points to online casino trivially cannibalizing the lottery, or being beneficial.

Here’s why.

Cannibalization is a two-way street

The budget office spent plenty of time talking about cannibalization. But it overlooked a critical area: Online casinos will infuse the state’s gambling ecosystem with a lot of new players and money.

Even in its doomsday scenario, where 15% of online casino is poached from the lottery, that means that 85% of the revenue would be new money. And just like some lottery players will spend money at online casinos, there will be online casino players that spend money on online lottery products. The cannibalization goes both ways.

Finally, plenty of people partake in both activities. Once a person puts some virtual nickels in an online slot machine, he or she doesn’t cease all other gambling activity.

Hey casinos, lottery players are just not that into you

Another overlooked factor is player behavior.

Attempts to change gambling behaviors rarely bears fruit.

If steering customers toward games the casino wants them to play were possible, then the games with the highest house edges and least overhead would be packed. The reality is, casinos have to offer a wide variety of games to appeal to as many people as they can.

Lottery players play the lottery for specific reasons, not because it’s the only game in town. They can already bet online at offshore casinos and sportsbooks.

So what are those reasons?

For starters, lottery games tend to be simplistic, and current customers are comfortable and familiar with them. Plus, they trust their state-sponsored lottery.

Michigan Lottery Online Games App

There’s also the notion that “if I’m going to gamble, at least my losses are going to a good cause (the state coffers) and not padding the bottom line of a casino.”

Shifting a player from the lottery to a casino, or vice versa is akin to converting a Pepsi drinker into a Coke drinker. The easier route is finding people who drink neither, or who will switch back and forth based on factors beyond taste.

The bottom line on MI online gambling

Converting lottery customers into online casino customers is a mammoth undertaking.

As such, it’s unlikely online casinos will focus marketing dollars trying to convert lottery customers (customers who are likely happy with the product) into online casino customers when there is a plethora of new customers without any loyalty sitting on the sidelines.