Michigan Online Lottery Draw Games
[toc]The Michigan Lottery went online with a soft launch in August of 2014. By November, the state officially launched its online lottery program. However, only Instant Keno and scratch-off game equivalents were available on computers, mobile phones, or tablet devices.
In fact, it wasn’t until January 2016 that the Michigan Lottery added its most popular draw games to its online portfolio. At that time, available games included:
- Powerball
- Mega Millions
- Fantasy 5
- Lotto 47
Sales were robust right out of the gate.
Powerball
Powerball is a multi-state draw game offered in 44 states, Washington D.C., US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Jackpots start at $40 million. Tickets are $2.00 each.
The draw includes the selection of five white balls numbered 1-69 and one red Powerball numbered 1-26. Matching all six numbers triggers a jackpot win. However, matching the five white balls in any order guarantees a prize of $1 million. Wins start by matching three white ball numbers or the red Powerball.
Power Play is a special add-on feature that allows a winner to increase the original prize amounts. The Power Play option costs $1. The $1 million prize is doubled to $2 million with the Power Play option. All other prizes are multiplied by the Power Play number drawn, which is either:
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
Plus, the number can be 10 if the jackpot is less than $150 million at the time. However, Power Play multipliers do not apply to jackpot wins.
Drawings are on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Tickets are available online or in-person until about one hour and 15 minutes before each draw.
Powerball replaced the original Lotto*America Multi-State Lottery Association game in 1992. Six states and Washington, D.C. started Lotto*America. Then nine more states joined before Lotto*America became Powerball.
Powerball began with 16 states and Washington, D.C. The Michigan Lottery began offering Powerball tickets on January 31, 2010.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever recorded was close to $1.6 billion in January 2016.
Mega Millions
Mega Millions is a multi-state draw game offered in 44 states, Washington D.C., and the US Virgin Islands. Jackpots start at $15 million. Tickets are $1.00 each.
The draw includes the selection of five white balls numbered 1-75 and one gold Mega Ball numbered 1-15. Matching all six numbers triggers a jackpot win. However, matching the five white balls in any order guarantees a prize of $1 million.
Wins start by matching three white ball numbers or the gold Mega Ball number. Plus, the Michigan Lottery offers a Megaplier feature allowing players to increase non-jackpot prizes by multiples of:
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
Each Megaplier costs $1. However, the Megaplier does not apply to jackpot wins.
Drawings are on Tuesday and Friday nights. Tickets are available online or in store until 15 minutes before the draw.
Mega Millions began as The Big Game multi-state lottery in 1996. Michigan was one of the original six states involved. The draw game was renamed The Big Game Mega Millions six years later, and became Mega Millions in 2002.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever recorded was $656 million in March 2012.
Fantasy 5
Fantasy 5 is an in-state draw game offered by the Michigan Lottery. Jackpots start at $100,000. Tickets are $1.00 each.
The draw includes the selection of five white balls numbered 1-39. Matching all five numbers triggers a jackpot win. Plus, wins start by matching two of five numbers.
The Michigan Lottery allows players to add EZmatch to Fantasy 5 wagers for $1. Five EZmatch numbers are added to the ticket below the Fantasy 5 numbers. If any of the EZmatch numbers match the drawn Fantasy 5 numbers, the player instantly wins the prize amount listed. Prizes range from $2 to $500.
Drawings are held seven days a week. Tickets are available online or in store up 21 minutes before each draw.
Lotto 47
Lotto 47 is an in-state draw game offered by the Michigan Lottery. Jackpots start at $1 million. Tickets are $1.00 each.
The draw includes the selection of six white balls numbered 1-47. Matching all six numbers triggers a jackpot win. Plus, wins start by matching three of six numbers.
The Michigan Lottery allows players to add EZmatch to Lotto 47 wagers for $1. Five EZmatch numbers are added to the ticket below the Lotto 47 numbers. If any of the EZmatch numbers match the Lotto 47 numbers drawn, the player instantly wins the prize amount listed. Prizes range from $2 to $500.
Drawings are on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Tickets are available online or in person up to 21 minutes before the draw.