News writer
Friday the 13th takes place tomorrow, and it's normally considered unlucky for many people. However, lottery players in Michigan might want to head out and buy themselves some Mega Millions tickets!
Mega lucky for Michigan
Yes, the superstitions say that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. However, the Michigan Lottery is trying to prove those believers wrong.
Lottery officials announced that lottery players in the state have been particularly lucky when it comes to Friday the 13th. How so? The state has seen four lucky players win the Mega Millions jackpot on the cursed day!
Those four jackpots also happened to total $171 million in winnings for the lucky players:
- June 13, 2008 - $57 million jackpot, which was won by a Kent City man
- May 13, 2011 - $27 million jackpot, which was won by a Kalamazoo man
- June 13, 2014 - $66 million jackpot, which was won by a Port Huron woman
- October 13, 2017 - $21 million jackpot, which was won by a Waterford man
While Friday the 13th has brought in some nice jackpot wins for Michigan Lottery players, it hasn't happened in almost seven years. Does that mean the luck changes tomorrow night?
Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli said:
Michigan Lottery players have cashed in on what many consider to be the unluckiest of days — Friday the 13th — winning four Mega Millions jackpots totaling more than $170 million. The unpredictability and random nature of Lottery games is part of what makes playing fun, and with any luck, we'll have a fifth Friday the 13th Mega Millions jackpot winner this Friday!
Mega Millions win in Michigan
While it has been seven years since a Mega Millions jackpot was won on Friday the 13th in Michigan, the last Mega Millions jackpot won in the state came in January 2021. An Oakland County lottery club won a $1.05 billion jackpot, which was the largest jackpot ever won in the state.
Mega Millions tickets can be purchased at any lottery retailer throughout the state until 10:45 p.m. ET on Friday night. They can also be purchased online at the Michigan Lottery website. The drawing takes place at 11:00 p.m. ET.
Feeling 'financial relief'
While we wait to see if Michigan Lottery players will have any luck on Friday the 13th tomorrow night, a Kent County woman is already celebrating after winning a $264,963 Michigan Jackpot progressive prize!
“I play games on the Michigan Lottery app every now and again,” the player, who chose to remain anonymous, told lottery officials. “That night, I just had a strong feeling that I should try the Michigan Jackpot game.”
The lucky winner gave it a try and actually only played a couple of tickets before hitting the jackpot! She told lottery officials, “I was so anxious when I won. I thought it was a mistake or was going to disappear from my phone. I went to bed that night, and when I woke up in the morning, I raced to check my Lottery account. When I saw the prize was still there, I told my husband the good news!”
And now that the 60-year-old winner visited lottery headquarters to claim her prize, she said she is feeling “financial relief” after the win. She plans on sharing her winnings with family and investing in her business.
She told lottery officials, “I am so happy and grateful to have won this prize, and I am going to pay it forward.”
Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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