For the third year in a row, lottery players in Michigan collected more than $3 billion dollars in prizes.
Public schools are cashing in on the winnings, too.
Every year, a portion of lottery ticket sales goes to funding public education. For every dollar spent on tickets in 2023, 27 cents goes to the School Aid Fund.
“This year alone, Michigan Lottery contributed more than $1.3 billion,” said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Jessica Weare.
Nearly six percent of the School Aid Fund’s budget came from Michigan lottery sales in 2022. Taxes are the primary source of public education funding in the state.
“That works out to contribution of well over $3 million every day for Michigan Public Schools, and significant public schools serve more than 1.4 million children,” said Weare.
Since the Michigan lottery began in 1972, schools have received more than $28 billion.
Lottery ticket purchases also support retailers and vendors. In 2023, lottery retailers in the state were paid more than $350 million in commissions. Lottery products are sold at more than 10,000 businesses.
“This holiday season, when you go out and buy a lottery ticket, you're not just giving a fun and popular guest where your recipient has a chance to win a life changing prize,” Weare said.
“But we're also partnering with local retailers across the state, many of which are small businesses.”
The largest lottery prize in Michigan history was in 2021 when a Detroit lottery club won $1.05 billion in a Mega Millions jackpot.
The odds of winning $1 million in the state’s mega million lottery is about one in 12,607,306 according to the Michigan Lottery website.
