News writer
Last week in Michigan, persistence paid off. For decades, a woman from Michigan played the draw game Lotto 47 every Wednesday and Saturday. Finally, on the March 21 drawing, she won.
The winning ticket
The anonymous 65-year-old player from Bay County claimed the $1.1 million Lotto 47 jackpot. The lucky woman's winning numbers were 4-18-20-26-27-31. She'd purchased the winning ticket at Beson's Supermarket in Kawkawlin, Michigan.
Learning about her win
The woman told Michigan Lottery Connect that she'd been a loyal player of the game Lotto 47 since it started in 2005, buying a ticket twice a week for every drawing. On the night of her win, she was watching TV when a friend told her that someone had won off a ticket purchased at Beson's. She said:
I thought to myself it was cool they had sold a big winner, but it never crossed my mind that it could be me. After my show ended, I checked my ticket and went absolutely crazy when I found out I was the winner! I called a few family members and my neighbor to tell them the big news. Winning is such a blessing. I feel like I can breathe again!
How Lotto 47 works
Lotto 47 is one of Michigan's longstanding draw games, offering players the chance to win big with a relatively simple format.
Tickets cost $1 per play. Players select six numbers from 1 to 47. Drawings are held twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7:29 p.m. Eastern Time, and the jackpot rolls over until someone matches all six numbers.
Players can also enhance their tickets with add-ons like Double Play for a second chance at additional prizes or EZMatch for instant wins, increasing both engagement and potential payouts.
Nowhere near the record
Though she may hold the record for most Lotto 47 tickets purchased - we'll never know - the March 21 winner is far from winning the highest Lotto 47 jackpot on record. That distinction belongs to a winner from December 2025 who took home a $32.91 million jackpot.
After that mega win, the last few weeks have seen smaller Lotto 47 winners, with a $3.95 million winner in February and a $1.2 million winner in early March.
What she'll do with the winnings
The winner opted for the lump sum payment of $762,000 instead of the full annuitized $1.1 million. She told Michigan Lottery that she would save her winnings.
Can playing a lot increase your odds?
The woman said she has played Lotto 47 loyally since 2005. It’s nice to believe that she “earned” this win by playing it for so long, and that by playing the same game for a long time, your odds of winning are increased.
Unfortunately, in a draw game, there is no way to increase your odds of winning. Every draw is a blank slate, completely independent of the last draw. This woman's odds of winning were no better this game than on any previous game she played. She could have been completely new to the game - she still had the same odds of picking the winning numbers.
