RELEASE DATE: 3/12/2021
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An Oakland County lottery club has claimed the largest prize in Michigan Lottery history, a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
The four-member Wolverine FLL Club’s winning ticket matched all of the numbers drawn Jan. 22 – 04-26-42-50-60 – and the Mega Ball 24. The winning ticket was bought at Kroger, located at 47650 Grand River Avenue in Novi.
“A club member saw a sign that the jackpot was up to $1 billion and remembered that they hadn’t bought their tickets yet, so they pulled into the Kroger,” said the club’s representative and attorney, Kurt D. Panouses, esq. “When you play of course you dream of winning, but the reality of it has been incredible.
“This kind of money will impact the families of our club members for generations to come. We plan to stay humble and pay it forward through charitable giving in southeast Michigan.”
The Wolverine FLL Club chose to receive their prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $776 million instead of annuity payments for the full amount. After required income tax withholdings of 24% federal tax (about $186 million) and 4.25% state tax (about $33 million), the club received about $557 million.
For selling the winning ticket, Kroger received a $50,000 bonus commission. Shortly after the prize was won, the store announced it would donate the $50,000 to the Food Bank Council of Michigan.
“Kroger is committed to our mission of feeding our communities,” said Rachel Hurst, Corporate Affairs Manager, The Kroger Co. of Michigan. “Strong partnerships with both the state of Michigan and the Food Bank Council of Michigan are integral in driving our mission forward.”
Sales during the record-setting jackpot run, which began in late September, helped kickstart the Lottery’s 2021 fiscal year. From the start of the fiscal year in October through the end of the jackpot run, Mega Millions sales were up about 110% compared to the same period in 2020.
“Having a record-setting jackpot win in Michigan is great news all around,” said Lottery Commissioner, Brian O. Neill. “Lottery sales help support public education and more than 10,000 retail locations across the State. Total Lottery contributions to Michigan’s School Aid Fund over the last three fiscal years exceed $3 billion.”
The $1.05 billion jackpot is the largest prize ever won in Michigan, and third-largest prize won in the United States. The national and world record for a lottery jackpot is $1.586 billion. That Powerball jackpot was won on Jan. 13, 2016, and split between three winning tickets (California, Florida, and Tennessee). The second largest prize was a $1.537 billion jackpot won on Oct. 23, 2018 by a South Carolina Player.
Previously, the largest Lottery prize ever won by a Michigan player was a $337 million Powerball jackpot won on Aug. 15, 2012.
Mega Millions drawings take place each Tuesday and Friday evening. Each Mega Millions play is only $2. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a “Megaplier” that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Mega Millions tickets for may be purchased online at MichiganLottery.com and at the Lottery’s 10,500 retailers around the state until 10:45 p.m. the day of the drawing.
About 97 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to vendors and retailers. In the 2019 fiscal year, the Lottery provided more than $1 billion for Michigan’s public schools, its fifth record contribution in a row. Since it began in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $23 billion to support public education in Michigan. For additional information, follow the Michigan Lottery on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and online at www.michiganlottery.com.
Media contact: Jake Harris, Michigan Lottery Public Relations Office, (517) 373-1237