All news

Michigan lottery player still reeling from $250,299 prize

Congratulations Christopher Cassel!

BIG CA$H Second-Chance winner Christopher Cassel.
BIG CA$H Second-Chance winner Christopher Cassel. Photograph credit to the Michigan Lottery.
Corinna Underwood

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.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Related articles

The Jersey Cash 5, Nebraska Pick 5, and Palmetto Cash 5 logos over a pink background with golden stars.
Five-number draw games score jackpot wins in 3 states on the same night

From $180K to $472K, players in Nebraska, New Jersey, and South Carolina are a whole lot richer.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Rhode Island Numbers logo over a blue background with dollar signs.
Why 1-2-3-4 just made thousands of Rhode Islanders rich

Sequential numbers just paid out nearly 500% across Rhode Island.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

An EuroMillions playslip.
Winner hits biggest jackpot in EuroMillions history

Irish luck? An unidentified player in Ireland takes home 250 million Euros.

Halley Bondy profile pic

Halley Bondy

The Florida Lottery Pick 3 logo, along with the number 666.
Florida Lottery draws 6-6-6, but it's all luck for Pick 3 winners

Is the universe playing tricks? One of the most feared numbers just brought in nearly $2 million.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Recent articles

View All
The Jersey Cash 5, Nebraska Pick 5, and Palmetto Cash 5 logos over a pink background with golden stars.
Five-number draw games score jackpot wins in 3 states on the same night

From $180K to $472K, players in Nebraska, New Jersey, and South Carolina are a whole lot richer.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Michigan Lottery Super Raffle logo over a black background.
Michigan Lottery launches biggest raffle prize in history

Michigan Lottery's $6 million Super Raffle returns with premium $50 tickets targeting high-roller players.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

Parker's #94, located at 230 Church Street in Georgetown.
Woman charged with lottery fraud over a scratcher worth just $25

Investigators say she took the scratcher while on the job and then cashed it in at another location.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Rhode Island Numbers logo over a blue background with dollar signs.
Why 1-2-3-4 just made thousands of Rhode Islanders rich

Sequential numbers just paid out nearly 500% across Rhode Island.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher