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taken from http://www.flalottery.com/inet/aboutusMain.do
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Michigan Lottery Through the Years
Mission Statement of the Bureau of State Lottery
* 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.
Establishment of the Michigan Lottery
* On May 16, 1972, voters approve a constitutional amendment by a 2-to-1 margin, enabling the establishment of a state lottery.
* Governor William Milliken signed into law Public Act 239 on August 1, 1972.
* Gus Harrison appointed first Lottery Commissioner on August 1, 1972.
35-Year History of Winning!
1972
* November 13, 1972 – The 50-cent green game ticket goes on sale. First weekly drawing is held on November 24, 1972.
1973
* February 22, 1973 – First $1 million prize is awarded to Taylor resident Hermus Millsaps.
1975
* July 24, 1975 – The first weekly drawing is broadcast from Channel 50 in Detroit.
* October 7, 1975 – First instant game tickets go on sale.
1976
* January 12, 1976 – The first $1 million prize of the instant game drawing is won by a Detroit resident.
1977
* June 6, 1977 – The Daily 3 game goes on sale at Lottery retailers through 300 on-line terminals.
1980
* March 20, 1980 – William M. Nugent is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor William Milliken.
1981
* May 13, 1981 – Governor Milliken signs Public Act 40, earmarking Lottery revenues for the state School Aid Fund.
* October 5, 1981 – The Daily 4 game goes on sale at Lottery retailers.
1983
* January 24, 1983 – Michael J. Carr is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor James J. Blanchard.
1984
* August 13, 1984 – The first Lotto (6/40) game goes on sale. First-week sales of $3.1 million set a national record. The first drawing is conducted August 25, 1984.
* September 1, 1984 – The first Lotto jackpot, a $2.9 million prize, is won by Thomas LaPenna of Marquette.
1986
* April 13, 1986 – Super Lotto (6/44) goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted on April 19, 1986.
* June 10, 1986 – Highest-ever Daily 3 prize payout, $4.9 million for number 123, is 489 percent of the amount wagered that day.
1987
* September 30, 1987 – First fiscal year that Lottery sales reach $1 billion.
1988
* July 11, 1988 – The Michigan Legislature passes Public Act 243, enabling Lottery winners of prizes greater than $10,000 to elect anonymity.
1989
* January 28, 1989 – "Fame & Fortune," the Lottery's weekly television game show, begins.
* March 16, 1989 – Zinger game goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted March 18, 1989.
* December 3, 1989 – Lotto 47 (6/47) goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted December 6, 1989.
1990
* April 7, 1990 – Keno game goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted April 9, 1990.
* April 20, 1990 – First Keno $250,000 top prize is won by Darryl Korby of Marquette.
1991
* March 19, 1991 – Jerry R. Crandall is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor John M. Engler.
* April 13, 1991 – "Megabucks Giveaway" replaces "Fame & Fortune" as the Michigan Lottery's weekly television game show.
1992
* March 15, 1992 – "Cash 5" (5/39) game goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted March 20, 1992.
* September 30, 1992 – The Lottery sets an all-time annual sales record of $1.218 billion.
1993
* March 14, 1993 – Bonus Lotto (6/47) sales begin. The first drawing is conducted March 20, 1993.
* May 14, 1993 – Third highest Daily 4 prize payout, $15 million for the number 1028, is 2,227.1 percent of the amount wagered that day.
* September 30, 1993 – The Lottery sets an all-time annual sales record of $1.243 billion.
* December 5, 1993 – Michigan Lotto (6/49) sales begin. The first drawing is conducted December 8, 1993.
1994
* July 25, 1994 – Instant game sales hit an all-time record high of $12.652 million in one week.
* September 30, 1994 – The Lottery sets an all-time annual sales record of $1.343 billion. More significantly, the Lottery hits an all-time net revenue to education record high of $511 million.
1995
* January 3, 1995 – Bill Martin is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor John M. Engler.
* February 25, 1995 – The largest Lotto jackpot in Michigan Lottery history, $45.8 million, is shared by three winners. The rapidly growing jackpot led to two Lottery sales records: 39,000 tickets sold in one minute, and 2.2 million tickets sold in one hour!
* May 21, 1995 – Governor Engler signs Public Act 53, removing the Lottery's 45-percent prize payout cap. Under the new law, 45 percent becomes the minimum payout and can be adjusted to the marketplace.
* September 30, 1995 – The Lottery sets yet another all-time annual sales record of $1.38 billion; $548 million in net revenue to state School Aid Fund also surpasses previous record.
* October 3, 1995 – The Lottery moves from a credit-based to a consignment-based system of Instant ticket distribution. This change enables Lottery retailers to carry substantially more inventory, and thereby provide players with more choices of Instant games.
1996
* February 28, 1996 – Governor Engler signs Public Act 95, allowing Michigan to enter into a multistate lottery game.
* April 1, 1996 – The Lottery's first-ever $3 instant ticket, "Win For Life," with a top prize of $1,000 a week for life, goes on sale.
* June 11, 1996 – Lottery Commissioner Bill Martin announces the introduction of "The Big Game" – a new multistate lottery game. Michigan joins Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia in this multistate lottery game, with tickets scheduled to go on sale in the fall of 1996.
* July 2, 1996 – "The Big Game" gets bigger with the announcement that Georgia will leave Powerball to join.
* August 31, 1996 – "The Big Game" tickets go on sale.
* September 6, 1996 – The inaugural drawing of "The Big Game" takes place at Superstation WGN in Chicago. The game's first $5 million jackpot-winning ticket is sold at Michigan's Marina Village Liquor in Chesterfield Township.
* September 14, 1996 – "Road to Riches" replaces "Megabucks Giveaway" as the Michigan Lottery's weekly television game show.
* September 30, 1996 – The Lottery again sets another all-time sales record of $1.42 billion; $548.3 million in net revenue goes to the state School Aid Fund.
* October 1, 1996 – The Lottery changes the redemption commission structure for retailers. It now pays 2 percent of the prize value for any redeemed winning ticket with a value of $601 through $100,000.
* October 14, 1996 – The Lottery's first-ever $5 instant ticket, "Surprise Package," with a top prize of $250,000, goes on sale.
* December 9, 1996 – Instant game sales hit an all-time record high of $13.236 million in one week.
* December 15, 1996 – "Double Draws" for the Daily 3 and Daily 4 games go on sale. Drawings are held at 12:59 and 7:28 p.m. First "double draw" day is December 16.
1997
* January 24, 1997 – The largest Big Game jackpot to date - $45.6 million – is shared by the 17-member "Friends Forever" lottery club of Jackson.
* February 1, 1997 – The Lottery partners with the Michigan Council on Compulsive Gambling to offer a toll-free, 24-hour compulsive gambling hotline. The number will be carried on all instant and on-line tickets.
* February 24, 1997 – The Lottery marks its 25th year of operation with the introduction of "25th Anniversary Cash," the Lottery's second $5 Instant ticket with a top prize of $250,000.
* May 1, 1997 – Lottery regional offices begin accepting prize claims up through $50,000.
* July 13, 1997 – The Michigan Lotto offers a Lump Sum Cash Option, a new feature which gives players the choice of receiving the jackpot prize in a lump sum payment (based on Present Cash Value), or 25 annual payments.
* September 2, 1997 – The Lottery begins its affiliation with area community banks throughout the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, allowing players to claim prizes up to $50,000 at any of the network banks.
* September 10, 1997 – The first Michigan Lotto lump-sum jackpot of $5,196,211 is won by an anonymous Oakland County man.
* September 22, 1997 – The Lottery launches its website at www.state.mi.us/milottery.
* September 29, 1997 – Beginning with "Monster Cash," all Lottery Instant games will carry a UPC bar code specific to each game.
* September 30, 1997 – The Lottery posts record sales of $1.59 billion, sending a record $587.7 million to the state School Aid Fund.
* November 3, 1997 – Lottery's first-ever $10 Instant ticket, "$1,000,000 Gift," with a top prize of $1 million, goes on sale .
1998
* February 6, 1998 – The Lottery announces a new Tuesday draw for The Big Game. Tickets go on sale February 7, with the first drawing scheduled for February 10.
* August 1, 1998 through September 30, 1998 - The Lottery announces special bonus commission period for Michigan Lotto game. Any retailer selling a jackpot-winning ticket during this two-month promotion receives a $10,000 special commission, regardless of the redemption value of the ticket.
* September 30, 1998 – The Lottery posts record sales of $1.64 billion, sending a record $616 million to the state School Aid Fund.
1999
* January 13, 1999 – The Big Game offers a Lump Sum Cash Option, a new feature which gives players the choice of receiving the jackpot prize in a lump sum payment (based on Present Cash Value), or 26 annual payments. Additionally, The Big Game matrix changes to 5/50 + 1/36.
* January 15, 1999 – Don Gilmer is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor John M. Engler.
* April 6, 1999 – The Big Game reaches an all-time jackpot high of $197 million! One winning ticket is sold in Boston, Mass., and 12 lucky Michigan Lottery players match five numbers to win $150,000 each, a record number of "match five" winners in Michigan for a single Big Game drawing.
* May 26, 1999 – The Big Game welcomes the New Jersey Lottery as a member state.
* September 30, 1999 – The Lottery posts record sales of $1.73 billion, while sending $616.3 million to the state School Aid Fund!
* October 1, 1999 – The Lottery announces that with all new $2 Instant games introduced after this date, retailers will receive a 7-percent sales commission, instead of the standard 6-wepercent.
2000
* February 27, 2000 – Sales for Michigan Rolldown (5/33) begin, replacing Cash 5. This new game is unique because it offers pari-mutuel prizes for the match 5, match 4 and match 3 prize levels. The prize for matching 2 numbers is always $1. If no one matches all 5 numbers in a drawing, the prize pool for that category "rolls down" to those players matching 4 numbers, giving them even bigger prizes! The first drawing is held February 28.
* May 9, 2000 – The Big Game makes North American lottery history with a record-setting $363 million jackpot! This jackpot rolled 18 times since last being hit March 3, 2000. Two winning tickets - one sold in Michigan, one sold in Illinois – matched all six numbers in this Big Game drawing and each is worth an annuitized value of $181.5 million. The winners were Larry and Nancy Ross of Shelby Township, Michigan, and Joe and Sue Kainz of Lake County, Illinois. Each collected their winnings as a cash-option payment of roughly $90 million before taxes. In addition, total Big Game sales in all states for this jackpot run totaled $565,015,173; Michigan's portion was $83,294,843. The Michigan Lottery also set a record this date for total system wagers of 16,699,693.
* September 9, 2000 – The Lottery's last "Road to Riches" television show aired. Due to a significant drop in audience ratings and the show becoming an ineffective marketing tool, the Lottery chooses to cancel the show after 11 years on the air.
2001
* February 25, 2001 – Sales for Michigan Millions (6/51) begin, replacing Michigan Lotto. Michigan Lotto began in 1984, but declined in popularity over the past several years. To play Michigan Millions, players select six numbers from a field of 51. During the drawing, the Lottery draws six numbers from a field of 51. Anyone matching six numbers wins the jackpot. The Lottery then draws a seventh number – the Wild Ball – from the remaining 45. Players matching five numbers and the Wild Ball win an estimated $20,000 prize. There are four other ways to win, with and without the Wild Ball: Cash prizes are awarded for matching six numbers; five numbers; five numbers plus the Wild Ball; four numbers; four numbers plus the Wild Ball; and three numbers plus the Wild Ball. The top five prizes are pari-mutuel and therefore, may vary from drawing to drawing. The first drawing is held February 28.
* June 16, 2001 – The first Michigan Millions jackpot was won by an anonymous Detroit woman. The announced jackpot for that drawing was $40 million. The winner, however, chose to receive her winnings in one lump-sum payment for $19,851,592. This jackpot set a new record for the largest in-state Michigan Lottery jackpot won by a single ticket holder.
* August 2, 2001 – Governor John Engler appoints Jim Kipp as Acting Lottery Commissioner.
2002
* March 18, 2002 – The March 2002 issue of International Gaming & Wagering Business (IGWB), an independent and leading source of international lottery and casino information, lists the Michigan Lottery among the top 12 lotteries in the United States in effectiveness and efficiency.
* May 15, 2002 – The Big Game grows to include nine states as the New York Lottery and Ohio Lottery begin ticket sales. Upon the addition of the two new states, the name of the game is changed to Mega Millions and the matrix is changed from a 5/50 plus a 1/36 matrix to a 5/52 plus 1/52 matrix.
* May 16, 2002 – Tickets for the new Daily 3 & 4 EXTRA game go on sale. Players who purchase a Daily 3 or Daily 4 ticket can ask for the EXTRA play for an additional $1. The three EXTRA numbers for the Daily 3, or four EXTRA numbers for the Daily 4, are randomly chosen and printed at the bottom of the ticket, with a certain prize amount listed underneath each number. Players can win up to $500 instantly by matching the EXTRA numbers that are in the same position as the Daily 3 or Daily 4 numbers that they played for the regular drawings.
* September 2, 2002 – Tickets for Red Ball Double Draw promotion, the new Daily 3 game, go on sale today. After each regular evening Daily 3 drawing from September 2 through September 21, another drawing will be conducted using a separate machine that contains five white balls and one red ball. When the red ball is selected, the Lottery will draw a second set of Daily 3 numbers, giving players a second chance to win on the same ticket. When a white ball is drawn, it will be taken out of the machine and set aside, resulting in one less white ball that could be drawn the next night and an increased chance of drawing the red ball. Double draws will not occur on nights when a white ball is drawn. Whenever the red ball is drawn, all of the balls will be returned to the machine for the next night's drawing.
* September 6, 2002 - $17 million jackpot won by Jessee Bays Jr. of Kentwood, MI.
* September 6, 2002 – Mega Millions welcomes the Washington Lottery as a member state.
* October 14, 2002 – Change Play tickets, a revolutionary idea in the lottery industry, go on sale at retailers statewide. Change Play allows players to use loose change from any purchase to buy a chance to win thousands of dollars. For any amount between 25 and 99 cents, players can buy Change Play tickets, which are computer-generated, "easy pick" tickets. Six winning tickets are randomly selected in a computerized drawing that picks from all of the unique wagers placed that day. Change Play offers drawings seven days a week.
* October 16, 2002 – Keno game drawings expands to seven days.
* November 13, 2002 – The Michigan Lottery began its 30th year of operation. In its history more than $10.5 billion has been transferred to the state School Aid Fund. The 50-cent green game ticket, the first lottery ticket sold in Michigan, went on sale November 13, 1972.
2003
* January 22, 2003 – Sales for WINFALL, which replaces Michigan Millions, begin. WINFALL jackpots have a cap of $5 million. If the jackpot reaches $5 million and a winning ticket that matches all six numbers is not sold, then the jackpot is divided by players who matched five, four and three numbers. The first-ever WINFALL drawing allowed 16,571 players to win great cash prizes.
* January 31, 2003 – The first grand-prize drawing in the "$2,000,000 Celebration" Instant game takes place at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing. The top-prize winning ticket was drawn from the pool of 1,572 players who claimed $1,000 prizes in the "$2,000,000 Celebration" Instant game. The "$2,000,000 Celebration" Instant game is also the first $20 ticket in the Michigan Lottery.
* February 4, 2003 – The prize structure for the Daily 3 & 4 EXTRA game changes due to a survey of EXTRA players that was conducted by the Lottery. With the new prize structure every winning ticket will pay $50 instead of prizes ranging from $2 to $500. As a result, the odds of winning a $50 prize will be much easier - 1 in 80 – versus the 1 in 1,970 odds in the pervious version of the game.
* March 17, 2003 – In the March 2003 issue of International Gaming & Wagering Business (IGWB), an independent and leading source of international lottery and casino information, the Michigan Lottery is ranked among the top 11 lotteries in the United States in effectiveness and efficiency.
* March 26, 2003 – The first WINFALL ticket matching all six numbers, for a prize of $26.2 million, was sold. The announced jackpot for the March 26 drawing was $2.3 million.
* April 7, 2003 – Tickets go on sale for Red Ball Double Draw, Daily 3 promotion. The promotion runs from April 7 through April 26.
* April 9, 2003 – Governor Jennifer Granholm appoints Gary Peters as Michigan's seventh Lottery Commissioner.
* September 8, 2003 – Tickets for Front Pair Payout, a Daily 4 promotion go on sale. There are three different ways to place bets in the Daily 4 game: straight, boxed and two-way. If a player chooses to play a number straight, he or she would need to match the number he or she picked in the exact order chosen to win a $5,000 cash prize. The Front Pair Payout promotion allows players whose straight bets match the first two numbers drawn will receive a $10 payout.
* October 27, 2003 – Tickets for the Lottery's new Club Games, Club Keno and Pull Tabs, go on sale at bars and restaurants that have been licensed to sell these Lottery products. Club Keno is a fun, fast, continuous action game with drawings every five minutes. It offers a wide variety of cash prizes, with a top prize of $100,000 for a $1 wager. Players can wager $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10 or $20 per drawing and tickets can be purchased for up to 20 drawings at a time. Players win Club Keno by matching some or all of the numbers they have selected with the numbers drawn. The more numbers matched, the more the player wins. Pull Tabs are similar to the Lottery's Instant games only players tear off a pull tab to reveal great cash prizes. Pull Tabs come in different price points, ranging from 50-cents to $1.
* November 11, 2003 – In Ro of Battle Creek is one of three lucky Mega Millions players in 10 states to correctly match all six winning numbers in the November 11, 2003 drawing. The announced jackpot for the November 11 Mega Millions drawing was $70 million. The three winners share the jackpot prize, with each ticket worth $23.3 million.
* November 15, 2003 – The final drawing for Change Play takes place.
* December 3, 2003 – Mega Millions welcomes the Texas Lottery as a member state.
2004
* March 1, 2004 – Tickets go on sale for the Back Pair Payout, a Daily Four promotion. There are three different ways to place bets in the Daily 4 game: straight, boxed and two-way. If a player chooses to play a number straight, he or she would need to match the number he or she picked in the exact order chosen to win a $5,000 cash prize. The Back Pair Payout promotion allows players whose straight bets match the last two numbers drawn to receive a $10 payout.
* March 11, 2004 – The Michigan Lottery's new Club Keno game has generated over $64 million in total sales, averaging $4,065 in sales per week per Club Keno terminal. These phenomenal sales figures have quickly elevated the Michigan Lottery to the second highest in the nation for weekly Club Keno sales per retail location!
* April 15, 2004 – Highest Daily 4 prize payout, $13, 965,844 for the number 1010, which is 2,600 percent of the sales that day, is paid.
* April 25, 2004 – The Daily 3 and 4 games add the Daily Double promotion. With Daily Double, Michigan Lottery Daily 3 and 4 game players will have the chance to experience winning instantly while they wait for their special numbers to be drawn. Players who purchase a Daily 3 or Daily 4 straight, boxed or two-way ticket can ask for the Daily Double play for an additional $1.
* May 4, 2004 – The first $500,000 Club Keno prize since the game debuted in October 2003 is sold at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl, 4722 W. Grand River Ave., in Lansing. The winner played the 10-Spot Game, betting $5 on 10 numbers in one Club Keno drawing. The winner matched 10 of the 20 numbers drawn by the Lottery. The prize for matching 10 numbers in the 10-Spot Game is $100,000, but because the winner bet $5 on the wager, the prize was multiplied to $500,000.
* May 6, 2004 – Just a few days before his 78th birthday, Russell Tanner of Dexter buys a "$1,000,000 Dream" Instant Lottery ticket and wins $1 million. Just two years earlier, on June 5, 2002, Tanner won his first $1 million with a "Casino Riches" Instant Ticket.
* May 29, 2004 – Highest Daily 4 midday prize payout, $4,787,650 for the number 1101 which is 1,422 percent of the amount wagered that day, is paid.
* June 7, 2004 – The Lottery adds a Monday drawing to its current Wednesday and Saturday WINFALL drawing line-up. To kick off the Monday drawings, players receive a second chance to win through the "Dream Drive" promotion. Players who purchase a single $3 WINFALL ticket will automatically receive an entry coupon for the "Dream Drive" promotion. Each week through July 12, in four separate drawings, the Lottery will award three dream cars.
* September 11, 2004 – The final drawing for Michigan Rolldown is conducted.
* September 12, 2004 – Sales for Fantasy 5, which replaced Rolldown, begin. Fantasy 5 jackpots start at $100,000 and grow daily until all five numbers are matched. In addition, the prize amounts for matching four, three and two numbers are guaranteed.
* September 30, 2004 – The Lottery closes the fiscal year with its highest sales ever: $1.97 billion, resulting in a record contribution of $644.5 million to the state School Aid Fund.
2005
* April 22, 2005 – Michigan's largest single jackpot, $208 million, was won by a Mega Millions player. The jackpot was the third largest in the history of the Mega Millions game.
* April 26, 2005 – The second highest payout as a percentage of sales was recorded when the Daily 4 Evening draw hit 1-1-1-1. A total prize amount of $11,060,000 was shared by 2,212 players, each winning $5,000. This represented 2,230 percent of sales. The highest payout as a percentage of sales was in April of 2004.
* May 14, 2005 – Sales for Winfall end.
* May 15, 2005 – Sales for Classic Lotto 47 begin. Players select 6 of 47 numbers and jackpots start at $1 million. Wagers are $1 each and drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday.
* June 1, 2005 – Player City, an interactive Internet-based players' club, is introduced. Within just a few weeks, thousands of players join the free club, which offers special contests, coupons and email alerts for players.
* June 22, 2005 – California becomes the 12th state to join the multi-state Mega Millions game. The game's matrix is changed to 5/56 and 1/46.
* July 21, 2005 – Yousef Sharif of Swartz Creek won a $2 million, $20 Instant games grand prize in a June 29 drawing and shared it with three of the other four finalists participating in the event. Shortly before the live, televised drawing, the four, strangers to each other until that day, signed a scrap of paper indicating their intentions to share the money if any of them drew the winning baton. They formed the Freedom 4 Lottery Club to collect their prize, representing the first time in the history of the Lottery that such an alliance was formed.
* September 19, 2005 – For the first time in its 33-history, the Michigan Lottery surpasses the $2 billion mark in sales. Year-to-date sales revenue is $2,012,132,020, setting a record.
* September 30, 2005 – For the second consecutive year, the Michigan Lottery posts a record contribution to the School Aid Fund. Fiscal year 2005 profits total $667.6 million, beating the fiscal year 2004 profits of $644.8 million.
* October 5, 2005 – The Michigan Lottery increases commissions to retailers selling winning Mega Millions jackpot tickets from $2,000 to $50,000. Commissions for selling winning Classic Lotto 47 jackpot tickets are also increased from $2,000 to $5,000.
* November 20, 2005 – "Kicker", a multiplier feature which allows players to win up to 10 times the amount of their wager, is added to Club Keno.
2006
* January 9, 2006 – With just four and a half hours to spare, a Lottery winner claims a $1.5 million prize after finding the lucky ticket in the pocket of a jacket he hadn't worn for a year.
* February 1, 2006 – The Lottery's Lucky Dog contest, run through Player City, draws over 1,000 photo submissions of players' dogs. Seven dogs were selected to be featured in a new $1 Lucky Dog ticket to be launched in April.
* February 8, 2006 – The Lottery reaps the benefits of Michigan hosting the 40th Super Bowl, ending game week with $47 million in sales and a nearly $14 million contribution to the School Aid Fund.
* February 27, 2006 – Over 84,000 Lottery players have signed up for Player City, the Lottery's Internet VIP club. Player City was launched July 1, 2005.
* October 13, 2006 – The Michigan Lottery's Lucky Dog instant game ticket receives the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries' award for Best New Instant Game in North America in 2006.
* November 12, 2006 – The Michigan Lottery begins sales of Millionaire Raffle, a limited ticket for which 765 prizes totaling $6,750,000 will be awarded in one drawing on January 3, 2007. The 500,000 Millionaire Raffle tickets sell out on November 22.
* November 14, 2006 – Detroiter Loretta Brown wins a $75 million Mega Millions jackpot. The 48 year-old, who is not a regular player, bought the ticket on a whim while shopping at the Ikea store in Canton.
* December 12, 2006 – A Saginaw man wins a $110,400 Fantasy 5 jackpot after having won a $140,980 jackpot in the same game just six months earlier.
2007
*
April 20, 2007 – The second Millionaire Raffle drawing shows that The Ground Round, a Jackson Lottery retailer, sold a $1 million prize winning ticket. The Ground Round sold a $1 million ticket in the first Millionaire Raffle game drawn on January 3 as well.
*
May 7, 2007 – The Michigan Lottery launches a $50 Super Raffle game, with two top prizes of $2 million, becoming the first lottery in the country to sell a $50 ticket. The 250,000 tickets sell out in less than three days.
*
August 10, 2007 – Gary Peters resigns as Lottery's 7th Commissioner.
*
August 15, 2007 – Deputy Commissioner of Marketing Tom Weber appointed acting Lottery Commissioner.
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September 30, 2007 – The Lottery closes the fiscal year with a record contribution to the School Aid Fund of $748.9 million, record prizes paid of $1.32 billion and record retailer commissions paid of $172.7 million.
*
October 31, 2007 – Joe and Sue Wilson make national headlines with a Fantasy 5 jackpot win of $115,001 on Halloween—with a ticket purchased in the town of Hell.
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December 24, 2007 – The Lottery sells a record $21 million in instant tickets in the week ending on Christmas Eve, beating 2002's $18.4 million for the same week. Leading the way in sales are $2 tickets, which usually generate about $6.7 million a week but topped out at $10 million, the highest amount in the history of that price point.
2008
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January 13, 2008 – M. Scott Bowen is appointed eighth commissioner of the Lottery by Governor Jennifer Granholm.
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March 15, 2008 – Sales for the Lottery's Daily Double game end.
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April 1, 2008 – David Sneath of Livonia wins a $135 million Mega Millions jackpot. He immediately retires from his job at Ford and vows to give his four closest friends $1 million each.
* 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.
Establishment of the Michigan Lottery
* On May 16, 1972, voters approve a constitutional amendment by a 2-to-1 margin, enabling the establishment of a state lottery.
* Governor William Milliken signed into law Public Act 239 on August 1, 1972.
* Gus Harrison appointed first Lottery Commissioner on August 1, 1972.
35-Year History of Winning!
1972
* November 13, 1972 – The 50-cent green game ticket goes on sale. First weekly drawing is held on November 24, 1972.
1973
* February 22, 1973 – First $1 million prize is awarded to Taylor resident Hermus Millsaps.
1975
* July 24, 1975 – The first weekly drawing is broadcast from Channel 50 in Detroit.
* October 7, 1975 – First instant game tickets go on sale.
1976
* January 12, 1976 – The first $1 million prize of the instant game drawing is won by a Detroit resident.
1977
* June 6, 1977 – The Daily 3 game goes on sale at Lottery retailers through 300 on-line terminals.
1980
* March 20, 1980 – William M. Nugent is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor William Milliken.
1981
* May 13, 1981 – Governor Milliken signs Public Act 40, earmarking Lottery revenues for the state School Aid Fund.
* October 5, 1981 – The Daily 4 game goes on sale at Lottery retailers.
1983
* January 24, 1983 – Michael J. Carr is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor James J. Blanchard.
1984
* August 13, 1984 – The first Lotto (6/40) game goes on sale. First-week sales of $3.1 million set a national record. The first drawing is conducted August 25, 1984.
* September 1, 1984 – The first Lotto jackpot, a $2.9 million prize, is won by Thomas LaPenna of Marquette.
1986
* April 13, 1986 – Super Lotto (6/44) goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted on April 19, 1986.
* June 10, 1986 – Highest-ever Daily 3 prize payout, $4.9 million for number 123, is 489 percent of the amount wagered that day.
1987
* September 30, 1987 – First fiscal year that Lottery sales reach $1 billion.
1988
* July 11, 1988 – The Michigan Legislature passes Public Act 243, enabling Lottery winners of prizes greater than $10,000 to elect anonymity.
1989
* January 28, 1989 – "Fame & Fortune," the Lottery's weekly television game show, begins.
* March 16, 1989 – Zinger game goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted March 18, 1989.
* December 3, 1989 – Lotto 47 (6/47) goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted December 6, 1989.
1990
* April 7, 1990 – Keno game goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted April 9, 1990.
* April 20, 1990 – First Keno $250,000 top prize is won by Darryl Korby of Marquette.
1991
* March 19, 1991 – Jerry R. Crandall is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor John M. Engler.
* April 13, 1991 – "Megabucks Giveaway" replaces "Fame & Fortune" as the Michigan Lottery's weekly television game show.
1992
* March 15, 1992 – "Cash 5" (5/39) game goes on sale. The first drawing is conducted March 20, 1992.
* September 30, 1992 – The Lottery sets an all-time annual sales record of $1.218 billion.
1993
* March 14, 1993 – Bonus Lotto (6/47) sales begin. The first drawing is conducted March 20, 1993.
* May 14, 1993 – Third highest Daily 4 prize payout, $15 million for the number 1028, is 2,227.1 percent of the amount wagered that day.
* September 30, 1993 – The Lottery sets an all-time annual sales record of $1.243 billion.
* December 5, 1993 – Michigan Lotto (6/49) sales begin. The first drawing is conducted December 8, 1993.
1994
* July 25, 1994 – Instant game sales hit an all-time record high of $12.652 million in one week.
* September 30, 1994 – The Lottery sets an all-time annual sales record of $1.343 billion. More significantly, the Lottery hits an all-time net revenue to education record high of $511 million.
1995
* January 3, 1995 – Bill Martin is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor John M. Engler.
* February 25, 1995 – The largest Lotto jackpot in Michigan Lottery history, $45.8 million, is shared by three winners. The rapidly growing jackpot led to two Lottery sales records: 39,000 tickets sold in one minute, and 2.2 million tickets sold in one hour!
* May 21, 1995 – Governor Engler signs Public Act 53, removing the Lottery's 45-percent prize payout cap. Under the new law, 45 percent becomes the minimum payout and can be adjusted to the marketplace.
* September 30, 1995 – The Lottery sets yet another all-time annual sales record of $1.38 billion; $548 million in net revenue to state School Aid Fund also surpasses previous record.
* October 3, 1995 – The Lottery moves from a credit-based to a consignment-based system of Instant ticket distribution. This change enables Lottery retailers to carry substantially more inventory, and thereby provide players with more choices of Instant games.
1996
* February 28, 1996 – Governor Engler signs Public Act 95, allowing Michigan to enter into a multistate lottery game.
* April 1, 1996 – The Lottery's first-ever $3 instant ticket, "Win For Life," with a top prize of $1,000 a week for life, goes on sale.
* June 11, 1996 – Lottery Commissioner Bill Martin announces the introduction of "The Big Game" – a new multistate lottery game. Michigan joins Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia in this multistate lottery game, with tickets scheduled to go on sale in the fall of 1996.
* July 2, 1996 – "The Big Game" gets bigger with the announcement that Georgia will leave Powerball to join.
* August 31, 1996 – "The Big Game" tickets go on sale.
* September 6, 1996 – The inaugural drawing of "The Big Game" takes place at Superstation WGN in Chicago. The game's first $5 million jackpot-winning ticket is sold at Michigan's Marina Village Liquor in Chesterfield Township.
* September 14, 1996 – "Road to Riches" replaces "Megabucks Giveaway" as the Michigan Lottery's weekly television game show.
* September 30, 1996 – The Lottery again sets another all-time sales record of $1.42 billion; $548.3 million in net revenue goes to the state School Aid Fund.
* October 1, 1996 – The Lottery changes the redemption commission structure for retailers. It now pays 2 percent of the prize value for any redeemed winning ticket with a value of $601 through $100,000.
* October 14, 1996 – The Lottery's first-ever $5 instant ticket, "Surprise Package," with a top prize of $250,000, goes on sale.
* December 9, 1996 – Instant game sales hit an all-time record high of $13.236 million in one week.
* December 15, 1996 – "Double Draws" for the Daily 3 and Daily 4 games go on sale. Drawings are held at 12:59 and 7:28 p.m. First "double draw" day is December 16.
1997
* January 24, 1997 – The largest Big Game jackpot to date - $45.6 million – is shared by the 17-member "Friends Forever" lottery club of Jackson.
* February 1, 1997 – The Lottery partners with the Michigan Council on Compulsive Gambling to offer a toll-free, 24-hour compulsive gambling hotline. The number will be carried on all instant and on-line tickets.
* February 24, 1997 – The Lottery marks its 25th year of operation with the introduction of "25th Anniversary Cash," the Lottery's second $5 Instant ticket with a top prize of $250,000.
* May 1, 1997 – Lottery regional offices begin accepting prize claims up through $50,000.
* July 13, 1997 – The Michigan Lotto offers a Lump Sum Cash Option, a new feature which gives players the choice of receiving the jackpot prize in a lump sum payment (based on Present Cash Value), or 25 annual payments.
* September 2, 1997 – The Lottery begins its affiliation with area community banks throughout the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, allowing players to claim prizes up to $50,000 at any of the network banks.
* September 10, 1997 – The first Michigan Lotto lump-sum jackpot of $5,196,211 is won by an anonymous Oakland County man.
* September 22, 1997 – The Lottery launches its website at www.state.mi.us/milottery.
* September 29, 1997 – Beginning with "Monster Cash," all Lottery Instant games will carry a UPC bar code specific to each game.
* September 30, 1997 – The Lottery posts record sales of $1.59 billion, sending a record $587.7 million to the state School Aid Fund.
* November 3, 1997 – Lottery's first-ever $10 Instant ticket, "$1,000,000 Gift," with a top prize of $1 million, goes on sale .
1998
* February 6, 1998 – The Lottery announces a new Tuesday draw for The Big Game. Tickets go on sale February 7, with the first drawing scheduled for February 10.
* August 1, 1998 through September 30, 1998 - The Lottery announces special bonus commission period for Michigan Lotto game. Any retailer selling a jackpot-winning ticket during this two-month promotion receives a $10,000 special commission, regardless of the redemption value of the ticket.
* September 30, 1998 – The Lottery posts record sales of $1.64 billion, sending a record $616 million to the state School Aid Fund.
1999
* January 13, 1999 – The Big Game offers a Lump Sum Cash Option, a new feature which gives players the choice of receiving the jackpot prize in a lump sum payment (based on Present Cash Value), or 26 annual payments. Additionally, The Big Game matrix changes to 5/50 + 1/36.
* January 15, 1999 – Don Gilmer is appointed Lottery Commissioner by Governor John M. Engler.
* April 6, 1999 – The Big Game reaches an all-time jackpot high of $197 million! One winning ticket is sold in Boston, Mass., and 12 lucky Michigan Lottery players match five numbers to win $150,000 each, a record number of "match five" winners in Michigan for a single Big Game drawing.
* May 26, 1999 – The Big Game welcomes the New Jersey Lottery as a member state.
* September 30, 1999 – The Lottery posts record sales of $1.73 billion, while sending $616.3 million to the state School Aid Fund!
* October 1, 1999 – The Lottery announces that with all new $2 Instant games introduced after this date, retailers will receive a 7-percent sales commission, instead of the standard 6-wepercent.
2000
* February 27, 2000 – Sales for Michigan Rolldown (5/33) begin, replacing Cash 5. This new game is unique because it offers pari-mutuel prizes for the match 5, match 4 and match 3 prize levels. The prize for matching 2 numbers is always $1. If no one matches all 5 numbers in a drawing, the prize pool for that category "rolls down" to those players matching 4 numbers, giving them even bigger prizes! The first drawing is held February 28.
* May 9, 2000 – The Big Game makes North American lottery history with a record-setting $363 million jackpot! This jackpot rolled 18 times since last being hit March 3, 2000. Two winning tickets - one sold in Michigan, one sold in Illinois – matched all six numbers in this Big Game drawing and each is worth an annuitized value of $181.5 million. The winners were Larry and Nancy Ross of Shelby Township, Michigan, and Joe and Sue Kainz of Lake County, Illinois. Each collected their winnings as a cash-option payment of roughly $90 million before taxes. In addition, total Big Game sales in all states for this jackpot run totaled $565,015,173; Michigan's portion was $83,294,843. The Michigan Lottery also set a record this date for total system wagers of 16,699,693.
* September 9, 2000 – The Lottery's last "Road to Riches" television show aired. Due to a significant drop in audience ratings and the show becoming an ineffective marketing tool, the Lottery chooses to cancel the show after 11 years on the air.
2001
* February 25, 2001 – Sales for Michigan Millions (6/51) begin, replacing Michigan Lotto. Michigan Lotto began in 1984, but declined in popularity over the past several years. To play Michigan Millions, players select six numbers from a field of 51. During the drawing, the Lottery draws six numbers from a field of 51. Anyone matching six numbers wins the jackpot. The Lottery then draws a seventh number – the Wild Ball – from the remaining 45. Players matching five numbers and the Wild Ball win an estimated $20,000 prize. There are four other ways to win, with and without the Wild Ball: Cash prizes are awarded for matching six numbers; five numbers; five numbers plus the Wild Ball; four numbers; four numbers plus the Wild Ball; and three numbers plus the Wild Ball. The top five prizes are pari-mutuel and therefore, may vary from drawing to drawing. The first drawing is held February 28.
* June 16, 2001 – The first Michigan Millions jackpot was won by an anonymous Detroit woman. The announced jackpot for that drawing was $40 million. The winner, however, chose to receive her winnings in one lump-sum payment for $19,851,592. This jackpot set a new record for the largest in-state Michigan Lottery jackpot won by a single ticket holder.
* August 2, 2001 – Governor John Engler appoints Jim Kipp as Acting Lottery Commissioner.
2002
* March 18, 2002 – The March 2002 issue of International Gaming & Wagering Business (IGWB), an independent and leading source of international lottery and casino information, lists the Michigan Lottery among the top 12 lotteries in the United States in effectiveness and efficiency.
* May 15, 2002 – The Big Game grows to include nine states as the New York Lottery and Ohio Lottery begin ticket sales. Upon the addition of the two new states, the name of the game is changed to Mega Millions and the matrix is changed from a 5/50 plus a 1/36 matrix to a 5/52 plus 1/52 matrix.
* May 16, 2002 – Tickets for the new Daily 3 & 4 EXTRA game go on sale. Players who purchase a Daily 3 or Daily 4 ticket can ask for the EXTRA play for an additional $1. The three EXTRA numbers for the Daily 3, or four EXTRA numbers for the Daily 4, are randomly chosen and printed at the bottom of the ticket, with a certain prize amount listed underneath each number. Players can win up to $500 instantly by matching the EXTRA numbers that are in the same position as the Daily 3 or Daily 4 numbers that they played for the regular drawings.
* September 2, 2002 – Tickets for Red Ball Double Draw promotion, the new Daily 3 game, go on sale today. After each regular evening Daily 3 drawing from September 2 through September 21, another drawing will be conducted using a separate machine that contains five white balls and one red ball. When the red ball is selected, the Lottery will draw a second set of Daily 3 numbers, giving players a second chance to win on the same ticket. When a white ball is drawn, it will be taken out of the machine and set aside, resulting in one less white ball that could be drawn the next night and an increased chance of drawing the red ball. Double draws will not occur on nights when a white ball is drawn. Whenever the red ball is drawn, all of the balls will be returned to the machine for the next night's drawing.
* September 6, 2002 - $17 million jackpot won by Jessee Bays Jr. of Kentwood, MI.
* September 6, 2002 – Mega Millions welcomes the Washington Lottery as a member state.
* October 14, 2002 – Change Play tickets, a revolutionary idea in the lottery industry, go on sale at retailers statewide. Change Play allows players to use loose change from any purchase to buy a chance to win thousands of dollars. For any amount between 25 and 99 cents, players can buy Change Play tickets, which are computer-generated, "easy pick" tickets. Six winning tickets are randomly selected in a computerized drawing that picks from all of the unique wagers placed that day. Change Play offers drawings seven days a week.
* October 16, 2002 – Keno game drawings expands to seven days.
* November 13, 2002 – The Michigan Lottery began its 30th year of operation. In its history more than $10.5 billion has been transferred to the state School Aid Fund. The 50-cent green game ticket, the first lottery ticket sold in Michigan, went on sale November 13, 1972.
2003
* January 22, 2003 – Sales for WINFALL, which replaces Michigan Millions, begin. WINFALL jackpots have a cap of $5 million. If the jackpot reaches $5 million and a winning ticket that matches all six numbers is not sold, then the jackpot is divided by players who matched five, four and three numbers. The first-ever WINFALL drawing allowed 16,571 players to win great cash prizes.
* January 31, 2003 – The first grand-prize drawing in the "$2,000,000 Celebration" Instant game takes place at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing. The top-prize winning ticket was drawn from the pool of 1,572 players who claimed $1,000 prizes in the "$2,000,000 Celebration" Instant game. The "$2,000,000 Celebration" Instant game is also the first $20 ticket in the Michigan Lottery.
* February 4, 2003 – The prize structure for the Daily 3 & 4 EXTRA game changes due to a survey of EXTRA players that was conducted by the Lottery. With the new prize structure every winning ticket will pay $50 instead of prizes ranging from $2 to $500. As a result, the odds of winning a $50 prize will be much easier - 1 in 80 – versus the 1 in 1,970 odds in the pervious version of the game.
* March 17, 2003 – In the March 2003 issue of International Gaming & Wagering Business (IGWB), an independent and leading source of international lottery and casino information, the Michigan Lottery is ranked among the top 11 lotteries in the United States in effectiveness and efficiency.
* March 26, 2003 – The first WINFALL ticket matching all six numbers, for a prize of $26.2 million, was sold. The announced jackpot for the March 26 drawing was $2.3 million.
* April 7, 2003 – Tickets go on sale for Red Ball Double Draw, Daily 3 promotion. The promotion runs from April 7 through April 26.
* April 9, 2003 – Governor Jennifer Granholm appoints Gary Peters as Michigan's seventh Lottery Commissioner.
* September 8, 2003 – Tickets for Front Pair Payout, a Daily 4 promotion go on sale. There are three different ways to place bets in the Daily 4 game: straight, boxed and two-way. If a player chooses to play a number straight, he or she would need to match the number he or she picked in the exact order chosen to win a $5,000 cash prize. The Front Pair Payout promotion allows players whose straight bets match the first two numbers drawn will receive a $10 payout.
* October 27, 2003 – Tickets for the Lottery's new Club Games, Club Keno and Pull Tabs, go on sale at bars and restaurants that have been licensed to sell these Lottery products. Club Keno is a fun, fast, continuous action game with drawings every five minutes. It offers a wide variety of cash prizes, with a top prize of $100,000 for a $1 wager. Players can wager $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10 or $20 per drawing and tickets can be purchased for up to 20 drawings at a time. Players win Club Keno by matching some or all of the numbers they have selected with the numbers drawn. The more numbers matched, the more the player wins. Pull Tabs are similar to the Lottery's Instant games only players tear off a pull tab to reveal great cash prizes. Pull Tabs come in different price points, ranging from 50-cents to $1.
* November 11, 2003 – In Ro of Battle Creek is one of three lucky Mega Millions players in 10 states to correctly match all six winning numbers in the November 11, 2003 drawing. The announced jackpot for the November 11 Mega Millions drawing was $70 million. The three winners share the jackpot prize, with each ticket worth $23.3 million.
* November 15, 2003 – The final drawing for Change Play takes place.
* December 3, 2003 – Mega Millions welcomes the Texas Lottery as a member state.
2004
* March 1, 2004 – Tickets go on sale for the Back Pair Payout, a Daily Four promotion. There are three different ways to place bets in the Daily 4 game: straight, boxed and two-way. If a player chooses to play a number straight, he or she would need to match the number he or she picked in the exact order chosen to win a $5,000 cash prize. The Back Pair Payout promotion allows players whose straight bets match the last two numbers drawn to receive a $10 payout.
* March 11, 2004 – The Michigan Lottery's new Club Keno game has generated over $64 million in total sales, averaging $4,065 in sales per week per Club Keno terminal. These phenomenal sales figures have quickly elevated the Michigan Lottery to the second highest in the nation for weekly Club Keno sales per retail location!
* April 15, 2004 – Highest Daily 4 prize payout, $13, 965,844 for the number 1010, which is 2,600 percent of the sales that day, is paid.
* April 25, 2004 – The Daily 3 and 4 games add the Daily Double promotion. With Daily Double, Michigan Lottery Daily 3 and 4 game players will have the chance to experience winning instantly while they wait for their special numbers to be drawn. Players who purchase a Daily 3 or Daily 4 straight, boxed or two-way ticket can ask for the Daily Double play for an additional $1.
* May 4, 2004 – The first $500,000 Club Keno prize since the game debuted in October 2003 is sold at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl, 4722 W. Grand River Ave., in Lansing. The winner played the 10-Spot Game, betting $5 on 10 numbers in one Club Keno drawing. The winner matched 10 of the 20 numbers drawn by the Lottery. The prize for matching 10 numbers in the 10-Spot Game is $100,000, but because the winner bet $5 on the wager, the prize was multiplied to $500,000.
* May 6, 2004 – Just a few days before his 78th birthday, Russell Tanner of Dexter buys a "$1,000,000 Dream" Instant Lottery ticket and wins $1 million. Just two years earlier, on June 5, 2002, Tanner won his first $1 million with a "Casino Riches" Instant Ticket.
* May 29, 2004 – Highest Daily 4 midday prize payout, $4,787,650 for the number 1101 which is 1,422 percent of the amount wagered that day, is paid.
* June 7, 2004 – The Lottery adds a Monday drawing to its current Wednesday and Saturday WINFALL drawing line-up. To kick off the Monday drawings, players receive a second chance to win through the "Dream Drive" promotion. Players who purchase a single $3 WINFALL ticket will automatically receive an entry coupon for the "Dream Drive" promotion. Each week through July 12, in four separate drawings, the Lottery will award three dream cars.
* September 11, 2004 – The final drawing for Michigan Rolldown is conducted.
* September 12, 2004 – Sales for Fantasy 5, which replaced Rolldown, begin. Fantasy 5 jackpots start at $100,000 and grow daily until all five numbers are matched. In addition, the prize amounts for matching four, three and two numbers are guaranteed.
* September 30, 2004 – The Lottery closes the fiscal year with its highest sales ever: $1.97 billion, resulting in a record contribution of $644.5 million to the state School Aid Fund.
2005
* April 22, 2005 – Michigan's largest single jackpot, $208 million, was won by a Mega Millions player. The jackpot was the third largest in the history of the Mega Millions game.
* April 26, 2005 – The second highest payout as a percentage of sales was recorded when the Daily 4 Evening draw hit 1-1-1-1. A total prize amount of $11,060,000 was shared by 2,212 players, each winning $5,000. This represented 2,230 percent of sales. The highest payout as a percentage of sales was in April of 2004.
* May 14, 2005 – Sales for Winfall end.
* May 15, 2005 – Sales for Classic Lotto 47 begin. Players select 6 of 47 numbers and jackpots start at $1 million. Wagers are $1 each and drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday.
* June 1, 2005 – Player City, an interactive Internet-based players' club, is introduced. Within just a few weeks, thousands of players join the free club, which offers special contests, coupons and email alerts for players.
* June 22, 2005 – California becomes the 12th state to join the multi-state Mega Millions game. The game's matrix is changed to 5/56 and 1/46.
* July 21, 2005 – Yousef Sharif of Swartz Creek won a $2 million, $20 Instant games grand prize in a June 29 drawing and shared it with three of the other four finalists participating in the event. Shortly before the live, televised drawing, the four, strangers to each other until that day, signed a scrap of paper indicating their intentions to share the money if any of them drew the winning baton. They formed the Freedom 4 Lottery Club to collect their prize, representing the first time in the history of the Lottery that such an alliance was formed.
* September 19, 2005 – For the first time in its 33-history, the Michigan Lottery surpasses the $2 billion mark in sales. Year-to-date sales revenue is $2,012,132,020, setting a record.
* September 30, 2005 – For the second consecutive year, the Michigan Lottery posts a record contribution to the School Aid Fund. Fiscal year 2005 profits total $667.6 million, beating the fiscal year 2004 profits of $644.8 million.
* October 5, 2005 – The Michigan Lottery increases commissions to retailers selling winning Mega Millions jackpot tickets from $2,000 to $50,000. Commissions for selling winning Classic Lotto 47 jackpot tickets are also increased from $2,000 to $5,000.
* November 20, 2005 – "Kicker", a multiplier feature which allows players to win up to 10 times the amount of their wager, is added to Club Keno.
2006
* January 9, 2006 – With just four and a half hours to spare, a Lottery winner claims a $1.5 million prize after finding the lucky ticket in the pocket of a jacket he hadn't worn for a year.
* February 1, 2006 – The Lottery's Lucky Dog contest, run through Player City, draws over 1,000 photo submissions of players' dogs. Seven dogs were selected to be featured in a new $1 Lucky Dog ticket to be launched in April.
* February 8, 2006 – The Lottery reaps the benefits of Michigan hosting the 40th Super Bowl, ending game week with $47 million in sales and a nearly $14 million contribution to the School Aid Fund.
* February 27, 2006 – Over 84,000 Lottery players have signed up for Player City, the Lottery's Internet VIP club. Player City was launched July 1, 2005.
* October 13, 2006 – The Michigan Lottery's Lucky Dog instant game ticket receives the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries' award for Best New Instant Game in North America in 2006.
* November 12, 2006 – The Michigan Lottery begins sales of Millionaire Raffle, a limited ticket for which 765 prizes totaling $6,750,000 will be awarded in one drawing on January 3, 2007. The 500,000 Millionaire Raffle tickets sell out on November 22.
* November 14, 2006 – Detroiter Loretta Brown wins a $75 million Mega Millions jackpot. The 48 year-old, who is not a regular player, bought the ticket on a whim while shopping at the Ikea store in Canton.
* December 12, 2006 – A Saginaw man wins a $110,400 Fantasy 5 jackpot after having won a $140,980 jackpot in the same game just six months earlier.
2007
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April 20, 2007 – The second Millionaire Raffle drawing shows that The Ground Round, a Jackson Lottery retailer, sold a $1 million prize winning ticket. The Ground Round sold a $1 million ticket in the first Millionaire Raffle game drawn on January 3 as well.
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May 7, 2007 – The Michigan Lottery launches a $50 Super Raffle game, with two top prizes of $2 million, becoming the first lottery in the country to sell a $50 ticket. The 250,000 tickets sell out in less than three days.
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August 10, 2007 – Gary Peters resigns as Lottery's 7th Commissioner.
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August 15, 2007 – Deputy Commissioner of Marketing Tom Weber appointed acting Lottery Commissioner.
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September 30, 2007 – The Lottery closes the fiscal year with a record contribution to the School Aid Fund of $748.9 million, record prizes paid of $1.32 billion and record retailer commissions paid of $172.7 million.
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October 31, 2007 – Joe and Sue Wilson make national headlines with a Fantasy 5 jackpot win of $115,001 on Halloween—with a ticket purchased in the town of Hell.
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December 24, 2007 – The Lottery sells a record $21 million in instant tickets in the week ending on Christmas Eve, beating 2002's $18.4 million for the same week. Leading the way in sales are $2 tickets, which usually generate about $6.7 million a week but topped out at $10 million, the highest amount in the history of that price point.
2008
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January 13, 2008 – M. Scott Bowen is appointed eighth commissioner of the Lottery by Governor Jennifer Granholm.
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March 15, 2008 – Sales for the Lottery's Daily Double game end.
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April 1, 2008 – David Sneath of Livonia wins a $135 million Mega Millions jackpot. He immediately retires from his job at Ford and vows to give his four closest friends $1 million each.
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