News writer
Many people dream of winning a big prize from playing the lottery, but when it happens, sometimes the reality of winning takes a long time to sink in. That's how it was for Fowlerville lottery winner Christopher Cassel.
The lucky player won a prize of $250,299 after he was selected in a random drawing by the Michigan Lottery on April 10, 2024. He played the BIG CA$H Second-Chance drawing by playing eligible BIG CA$H online instant games at the Michigan Lottery website.
In an interview with Michigan lottery officials, he said:
I came across an email from the Michigan Lottery informing me I’d won a $250,299 second chance jackpot, and I immediately thought it was a scam. After calling the Lottery I found out it was real, but I still had a hard time believing it.
The 34-year-old player recently traveled to the Michigan Lottery headquarters to collect his prize. He plans to use his prize money to buy a home and a new truck.
BIG CA$H Second-Chance winners
The Michigan Lottery launched the BIG CA$H Second-Chance game in April 2022. Since then, players have won a combined total of more than $7.5 million in progressive jackpot prizes. In 2024 alone, players have won:
- January: $257,631 progressive jackpot prize
- February: $227,383 progressive jackpot prize
- March: $250,299 progressive jackpot prize
Each month, a new drawing period begins, and the progressive jackpot is reset to $5,000. The next drawing will take place on May 8, 2024.
How to play BIG CA$H Second-Chance
You can earn entries to the Michigan Lottery’s BIG CA$H Second Chance by playing any of the following eligible instant online games:
- Triple Eagle Bonus
- Big Cash Catch
- Hot 7s
- Cash Vault
- Viva Las Jackpots
- Michigan Multiplier Wilds
- Lucky Start
- Mystery Vault
- Monthly Jackpot
Each time you play one of the above online instant games, a percentage of your wager will go into the fund for a progressive jackpot prize. The prize will be awarded to a randomly chosen winner in a monthly Second Chance drawing. Every 50 cents you wager will earn you one entry into the Big Cash 2nd Chance Jackpot Drawing for the month in which you play.
You can view your entries in the drawing by visiting the Michigan Lottery website. All your entries should appear within 73 hours of playing a game. Each month, after the entry period has ended, a drawing will take place, and one winner will be chosen from all the entries from the given month. Your entries are only valid for the month they were earned. Each month, a fresh drawing period will start, and the Second Chance jackpot will be reset to $5,000.
How the lottery helps Michigan
Each time you play the Michigan lottery, your purchase benefits local businesses and companies as well as K-12 education. In 2023 alone, the Michigan Lottery contributed more than $1.3 billion to the state of Michigan School Aid Fund.
