Michigan Lottery adds a mystery twist to Daily 3 drawings

Why settle for one shot at a prize when you could get two?

Starting July 1, the Michigan Lottery is rolling out a new promotion called the Red Ball Double Draw. It runs through the evening, Daily 3 drawings, Monday through Saturday, for a limited time in July. The promotion costs nothing extra. Players who already buy Daily 3 tickets are automatically in the running.

Here's how it works

Five white balls and one red ball sit in a drum. After each regular Daily 3 evening drawing, the Michigan Lottery runs a special "Double Draw" using that drum.

Draw a white ball? It gets pulled aside, and the process repeats the next evening with one fewer white ball in the mix.

Draw the red ball? Players get a second Daily 3 evening drawing that same night. Once the red ball appears, all the balls go back into the drum, and the cycle starts over for the next evening drawing.

The odds of hitting that red ball shrink a little more each night a white ball comes up. That's the mystery: nobody knows which night will trigger the bonus drawing.

What this means for Daily 3 players

Nothing changes about how you play. Daily 3 still runs twice a day, every day, with draws at 12:59 p.m. ET and 7:29 p.m. ET. Tickets cost 50 cents or a dollar. The five ways to play remain the same: Straight, Box, 2-Way, 1-Off, and Wheel.

The Red Ball Double Draw only affects evening drawings. If the red ball comes up after an evening draw, you simply get a second shot at that night's numbers, with whatever you wagered on the original drawing.

How to play

For anyone new to the game, Daily 3 is a daily lottery game where you pick three numbers between 0 and 9.

Straight bets require an exact match in the exact order. Box bets pay out regardless of order, with payouts depending on whether the combination is 3-way or 6-way. Wheel bets cover every possible combination of your numbers at once. The 2-Way option splits a dollar wager between a straight and a box bet. And 1-Off rewards near misses, where one digit lands a single number above or below what you picked.

Tickets are available at any of the state's 10,500 Lottery retailers, or online through the Michigan Lottery's Easy Pick, Pick My Numbers, or Favorite Purchase options.

Enjoy the Michigan Lottery, and please play responsibly.