The Michigan Lottery turns 45 on Monday, Nov. 13. To celebrate, the lottery is rewarding Michiganders with 45 free entries into the $500 a Day Giveaway and free plays for the online game Queen of Diamonds.
Here’s how to claim free prizes:
“To participate in these special offers, players should log in to their Lottery accounts at MichiganLottery.com. New players should sign-up for an account at MichiganLottery.com using the lottery promo code “45YEARS” to participate in the promotional offer. The special promotional offer expires at 11:59 p.m. on Monday.”
These offers are available only on Nov. 13, and players would be smart to jump on them.
Michigan Lottery players have a chance to win up to $500,000 instantly playing online. In addition to purchasing draw tickets, there are currently more than 40 different games available online with prices ranging from five cents to $20.
More broadly, people are playing and winning online in Michigan. Since the online lottery launched in 2014, more than 674,000 players have registered. In 2016 alone, online lottery players won $337 million.
History of the Michigan Lottery
The Michigan Lottery’s first game launched on Nov. 13, 1972. It cost 50 cents and was known as the Green Game. From these humble beginnings, the Michigan Lottery has experienced significant growth over the years.
To date, the lottery has awarded more than $36 billion in prizes and provided more than $21 billion to support public education in Michigan (according to the Michigan Lottery Connect website).
The site also lists Michigan’s major lottery milestones:
- Nov. 13, 1972: Sales begin for the 50-cent Green Game.
- Nov. 24, 1972: First weekly drawing for the lottery’s Green Game.
- Feb. 22, 1973: Hermus Millsaps, of Taylor, becomes the first person to win $1 million playing the lottery.
- Aug. 13, 1984: First lotto jackpot game goes on sale. First-week sales of $3.1 million set a national record.
- Sept. 1, 1984: The first lotto jackpot, a $2.9 million prize, is won by Thomas LaPenna of Marquette.
- Jan. 28, 1989: The lottery’s Fame and Fortune television show begins.
- Aug. 31, 1996: Tickets for The Big Game go on sale.
- Nov. 3, 1997: The lottery’s first $10 instant game is released – $1,000,000 Gift – featuring a top prize of $1 million.
- May 15, 2002: The Big Game becomes Mega Millions.
- April 11, 2005: A Port Huron couple, Ralph and Mary Stebbins, win a record $208 million Mega Millions jackpot.
- Jan. 31, 2010: Powerball tickets go on sale in Michigan.
- Aug. 31, 2012: A Lapeer man, Donald Lawson, wins a record $337 million Powerball jackpot, the largest lottery prize ever won in Michigan.
- Feb. 4, 2014: The lottery’s first $30 instant game is released – $2,000,000 CA$H – with a top prize of $2 million.
- Aug. 11, 2014: The lottery begins offering games online.
- Feb. 24, 2015: An Allegan County woman, Pam Rawson, becomes the first player to win $1 million playing online.
- January 2016: The lottery begins offering Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto 47, and Fantasy 5 online, launching one new game online each week.
