You can play the Michigan lottery online on your computer, or install a lottery mobile app. Either way, Michigan offers one of the best online lotteries in the country. Sign up now for a bonus and your chance to win millions.
Notably, Michigan was the first state to legalize its state lottery in the country in 1972. It is one of the most extensive lotteries in the US. As such, the MI lottery offers hundreds of instant win, fast-cash, life-changing draws, pull tab, second-chance, and keno games.
If you want to play lottery in the Wolverine State you can buy tickets at state-licensed retailers. Also, the Michigan iLottery offers state-of-the-art website and mobile app. This lets you buy lottery tickets safely and easily 24/7 from wherever you are in the state. More forms of Michigan online gambling that are now legal. Nowadays, Michigan casinos are joining the Michigan iLottery. These now offer online and mobile casino games, sports betting and poker.
Our Michigan gambling experts at BestMichiganCasino.com have been big fans of the MI lottery for many years. As a result, they jumped at the opportunity to create this guide. It covers the history, games, promotions, and everything you need to know about playing the Michigan lottery in 2020.
Playing the Michigan State Lottery
Playing the Michigan State Lottery gives a chance for life-changing prizes worth $ millions. In addition, It is a great chance to help the state’s community, as well as education. You can either purchase tickets at any one of the state’s 11,000 licensed retailers. Alternatively, you can use the lottery website or mobile app to purchase your lottery tickets 24/7 from anywhere.
Signing up Online to Michigan’s iLottery
Signing up to the Michigan Lottery is fast, secure, and easy. To sign up for Michigan’s online lottery, you must be over 18 years old and a Michigan resident. Once you sign up, there is a quick verification process where you will need to provide some personal information. The Michigan lottery encrypts and secures its site. So the state’s strict privacy laws and data-protection policies protect all your personal and banking information is protected by.
Michigan’s Lottery Website and App
The Michigan State Lottery offers an extensive website. Also, there is a great mobile app that also lets you enjoy the lottery on the go. You can watch draws, check for winning numbers, look at current jackpots and find Michigan lottery retailers online. The app also has a cool feature that lets you scan tickets using your mobile phone’s camera. So you can participate in games and check for winners.
You can access the Michigan Lottery site through a computer or mobile device browser. Additionally, you can download the app from the Michigan Lottery website. Apps are available for both Android and iOS devices.
Michigan Lottery Deposit Options
You will need to sign up and verify your account with the Michigan State Lottery. Afterwards, you can make a deposit using a few quick and secure methods:
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Direct Bank Transfers
- Online Game Card
The Online Game Card is a convenient way to fund your lottery account. For this, you will need to purchase a prepaid card at any lottery retailer and redeeming it online.
Claiming Lottery Cash Prizes
If you win up to $600, the lottery will automatically deposit these into your Michigan online Lottery account. You can then withdraw the funds at any time, with the minimum withdrawal being $10. If you win a prize between $600 and up to $50,000, you will need to submit an online claim form. You will also need to provide a valid photo ID and Social Security card. If you were lucky enough to win more than $50,000, you need to submit an online claim. In this case, you also need to visit the Michigan Lottery Headquarters in Lansing to collect your prize. But we are sure you agree with us it’s worth the trip.
Michigan Lottery Games
The MI Lottery offers different games on its website and on the iLottery mobile app. Including Instant Win, Draw Games, Fast Cash, Pull Tab, Keno, Second-Chance games and more.
Big Draw Lottery Games
- Draw Games: The MI Lottery offers 10 different draw games. You can purchase tickets via retailers or online.
- Powerball: You can play this draw game across 44 states as well as Washington D.C. Also, it is available in the US Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands. Jackpots start at $40 million, and you can buy tickets for $2 each. The draws take place on Tuesday and Friday nights.
- Mega Millions: Another multi-state game including the states and territories above. In this game, Jackpots start at $15 million. Tickets are sold for $1 each and the draws take place on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
- Fantasy 5: A Michigan in-state game with jackpots starting at $100,000. Tickets sold at $1 and draw held every day, seven days a week.
- Lotto 47: Another in-state game provided by the Michigan Lottery. Jackpots start at $1 million, tickets sold for $1 each, and draw is held on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Retailer-Only Michigan Lottery Games
The Michigan Lottery offers more draw games. Only licensed Michigan Lottery retailers sell tickets for these. Therefore, they cannot be purchased online:
- Michigan Lottery Club Keno
- Daily 3
- Daily 4
- $250,000 Keno
- Lucky for Life
- Poker Lotto
Instant Win Games
Michigan iLottery sells instant keno, scratch cards, and more instant-win games. All these games sell under the category of “Instants Online”. There are nearly 90 different instants online available on the Michigan iLottery website and app. Big prizes can go from $20,000 to as much as $500,000, and tickets sell for between $0.05 and $20. Michigan Lottery licensed retailers sell games with top prizes and soon they will be available online as well. Whereas prizes for these games range from $100 to as much as $4 million. The cost of tickets for these games is between $1 and $30.
Fast Cash Games
The MI Lottery offers 10 different types of Fast Cash games. These are part of the instant-win draw games that feed into a common progressive jackpot. Tickets sell from $2 to $20 and include Pull Tab games and Second Chance games. These are available through retailers, the iLottery website and Michigan Lottery mobile app.
Michigan State Lottery History
The Great Lakes State was the first state in the US to legalize its lottery under Public Act 239 in 1972. Michigan officially launched the lottery with the sale of 50-cent tickets. The first weekly draw happened in November 13 of that year. In 1975 the Michigan Lottery introduced instant tickets. Two years later in 1977, it introduced the first numbers game (Daily 3).
In 1981 the Michigan Lottery added Daily 4 numbers games, and in 1984 the MI lottery set the national record with $3.1 million sales of first-week tickets. The Michigan State Lottery launched in 1996 the ‘Big Game’. Many today know it as the famous ‘Mega Millions’. This multi-state game allows Michiganders to share the same prize pool many states and territories. Since stated in 1972, the Michigan State Lottery has contributed over $21 billion to public schools and education projects in the Wolverine State.
Michigan Online Lottery History
Michigan’s online lottery had its share of challenges before launching. In 2012 Michigan Senator Mike Green proposed legislation to ban the MI lottery from selling tickets online. However in 2013 then-Governor Rick Snyder initiated a bill that supports online lottery sales in the state. Claiming that online lottery can bring to Michigan’s education over $470 million in the seven years after launch, Snyder requested lawmakers to approve $3.4 in state funding to build Michigan’s online lottery. The request was denied and Michigan Lottery ended up footing the bill.
In November 2014, Michigan State Lottery officially launched iLottery, making it the third online State Lottery after Illinois and Georgia. Since then Michiganders can use their computer and mobile phone to buy tickets for instant keno, scratch games and since 2016 draws like Mega Millions and Powerball. In February 2015, Michigan Lottery announced the first $1 million winner. That lucky win happened after buying a $20 scratch-game ticket online. A year later in July 2016, another Michigan player won a big prize after purchasing a ticket online. This was a $1 million prize for the Powerball draw.
On the first year of the iLottery launch, instant tickets sold online accounted for two thirds of sales, at around $98 million. During that time, land-based retail lottery sales increased by $100 million. Since then, the Michigan online lottery is going from strength to strength. In 2019 the MI Lottery made a revenue of $3.897.4 billion.
Other States with Online Lotteries
Building on Michigan Lottery’s online success, more states have legalized and launched their state lotteries online. Currently, there are five states in addition to Michigan that offer online lottery in the US:
- Illinois (launched March, 2012)
- Georgia (launched November, 2012)
- Kentucky (launched April, 2016)
- New Hampshire (launched September, 2017)
- Pennsylvania (launched May, 2018)
With technological advancement, extensive regulation of online gambling such as sports betting, casino and poker in the US, and the huge benefits and tax revenues to the community, many more states are now looking to legalize the online lottery. We expect to see online lotteries in more states soon.
Who Benefits from Michigan Lottery?
In 2019, Michigan Lottery paid back to players over $17.2 billion in prize money, which amounted to 60% of ticket sales. Also, Michigan Lottery gave more than $1 billion to the Michigan School Aid Fund in 2019. There are many different businesses, people, and institutions that get great help from the MI lottery:
Michigan Lottery Players
Of course, we always hear about the happy players-turned-millionaires. Michigan Lottery made 33 players at least $1 million richer in 2019, but none of them played online yet. The Michigan State Lottery gave this year over $2 billion in prizes, with 33 prizes being $1 million or more. Phillip Chippewa of Suttons Bay in Northern Michigan was the biggest winner in 2019 – claiming in October an $80 million Powerball jackpot.
Michigan Schools
In 2019 Michigan State Lottery provided public education with $1.07 billion. With the Michigan K-12 Public school system serving around 1.5 million students, the MI lottery gives every student around $700 each year.
Michigan Retailers
Nearly 11,000 businesses in Michigan earn commissions on the sale of lottery products as licensed retailers. In 2019 retailers earned over $287 million in commissions. 355 Michigan Lottery retailers sold over $1 million in lottery products this year. Notably, last decade, the lottery paid more than $2 billion to retailers in sales commissions and bonuses.
Final Words on Michigan State Lottery
Michigan Lottery games are fun, exciting and offer you chances to win life-changing prizes. But always remember that lottery games are based on chance. As such, you should still consider lottery gambling. Therefore you should play the lottery responsibly for entertainment and never as a way to earn money. Set a weekly budget for tickets and if things are getting out of control seek help from one of Michigan’s many responsible gambling support groups. Join the Millions of Michigan Lottery players that enjoy playing responsibly every year, and who knows – your winning numbers might come up soon.
Michigan Lottery FAQs
Which games are available on Michigan Lottery online?
The iLottery, which is Michigan State Lottery’s online website and mobile app, offer many games including instant cash, multi and single-state draws, keno and many more games.
Can I play Mega Millions and Powerball online?
Yes you can. The Michigan Lottery offers Mega Millions, Powerball and many more big multi-state draws online. You can purchase tickets for these draws safely and easily through the iLottery website or mobile app.
How do I get paid if I win online?
Prizes up to $600 will be paid directly to your Michigan Lottery account. You can be withdrawn at any time (with a minimum withdrawal being $10). For Prizes above $600, you will need to file a prize claim, and for prizes above $50,000, you will need to visit the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing.
Can anyone play at the Michigan State Lottery?
No. In order to play and collect prizes from the MI lottery you will need to be a Michigan resident and have a Michigan State Lottery account.
Are the Michigan Lottery games fair?
Yes, they are. The Michigan Government administers and supervises all Michigan Lottery games. Therefore, all game and draw outcomes are completely random, making the Michigan Lottery completely fair and honest.
