The Michigan (MI) Lottery was inaugurated in 1972 under the authority of Public Act 239 and has been popular statewide for over 45 years.
From humble beginnings, the standard lottery draw has evolved to include a wide choice of instant games alongside the main draw. Over 50 games are now legally available to play online as of June 2018, subject to certain restrictions. Additionally, new players qualify for a free welcome bonus.
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Michigan lottery history
The Michigan Lottery officially began with the introduction of the Green Ticket game on November 13, 1972. The draw remained unchanged for nearly three years before the first instant game was introduced on October 7, 1975.
The offerings continued to evolve. Terminal-based games came into force in June 1977 and were joined in 1984 by the first ‘lotto’ variant. The set up of the MI Lottery continued unchanged for many years afterward until pressure for online play increased, paving the way for the Michigan Online Lottery.
In 2013, Governor of Michigan Rick Snyder asked for money to be set aside in the state budget for lottery ticket sales to be made available online. The first online tickets were purchased by the public on August 11, 2014, when Michigan’s internet lottery was officially launched. It is legal to play these authorized MI Lottery games online, subject to certain qualifying criteria, as an alternative to buying instant game tickets from participating retailers.
MI online lottery fact sheet
| Launch: | 2014 |
| Oversight: | The Michigan Bureau of State Lottery |
| Participation age: | 18+ |
| Available to: | MI residents located in Michigan |
| Federal tax: | 24% |
| State tax: | 4.25% |
| Proceedings benefit: | School funds |
| Mobile app: | Yes |
Participation requirements
To qualify to enter the MI Lottery, a player must be a Michigan resident and physically located in the state. They must also be over the age of 18, which is confirmed by an identity verification during online account registration; players will be asked to submit the last four digits of their social security number to prove their status and to ensure no one breaches these criteria.
Michigan lottery uses geolocation technology – a software solution designed to determine a player’s location based on their IP address and network connection parameters. If a player is determined to be playing from outside Michigan borders, they will be automatically disconnected from the platform and won’t be allowed to make deposits or withdrawals.
A full guide to registering with the Michigan iLottery is provided with step-by-step instructions on the official website.
Deposits
You can fund a Michigan online lottery account using:
- Credit/debit cards
- PayPal and Neteller
- Bank transfers
- Online game cards – can be purchased at Michigan Lottery retail locations
The minimum deposit size is $10.
Withdrawals
The minimum withdrawal amount is $10. Winnings below $600 are deposited directly into a player’s account, while anything from $600 to $50,000 requires submitting an online claim form before funds will be credited. For prizes larger than $50,000, players must visit the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim their winnings.
Available withdrawal methods include:
- Debit cards (credit cards are not supported)
- Bank transfers
- Paypal and Neteller
Players will be required to provide a photocopy of a government-issued ID when making their first withdrawal.
Michigan lottery games
The MI Lottery continues to add games to its list, so the number of instant options is constantly changing. As of June 2018, there were more than 35 instant games available for play in demo and real-money modes.
Among the instant games currently available are Rainbow Riches, which is based on a popular online casino slot game. This is one of the more popular options available, and it carries a top prize of $100,000 and has a low entry point at just twenty cents to play.
Examples of other titles include:
Some instant games, such as VIP Black, have smaller prizes, but there remains a healthy $60,000 top payout with a much lower entry level of five cents.
The Michigan Lottery also features instant win daily draws with top prizes starting at $500. Players can also play a number of Keno games, which are similar to bingo. In Keno, numbers are chosen from a card and then crossed off as they are drawn. The more numbers a player matches, the higher the prize.
Available Keno games include Club Keno with a $2,000,000 jackpot and tickets ranging between $1 and $20, plus Instant Keno Multiplier with a top prize of $500,000 and an entry point of 25 cents.
Multistate options
Qualifying players can get involved with multistate draw lotteries that cover a greater part of the United States.
These games include Powerball, which was first played in 1992 with an initial intake of 15 states. Michigan’s lottery first offered Powerball as an option in 2010, and the first online tickets were made available six years later in January 2016. Today, 44 states are involved, plus Washington, D.C., the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Mega Millions is the other multistate game available under the MI Lottery, and qualified players are legally allowed to purchase Mega Millions tickets online. When the game began in 1996, Michigan was one of the first six founding states. Since then, the number has expanded to 44 participating states. The $1 tickets can also be purchased at participating retailers.
Software and mobile application
Michigan’s iLottery website features useful filtering options. Players can sort games by type, ticket cost, the top prize, and play style, as well as try all instant games in play-money mode before making a deposit. There’s also a functional mobile application available for Android and iOS devices.
Customer support
Michigan’s online lottery support team can be reached through the following means:
- By calling 1-844-887-6836 – available 24/7
- Live Chat – available from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST
- Using the support contact form
Summary
It is legal to play online games as authorized and provided by the official Michigan Lottery. Qualification is subject to specific criteria: players must be residents of Michigan, located on state territory, and aged 18 or over. A verification process will be carried out to confirm these criteria.
The list of available games is updated on a regular basis, and these include lottery draws, instant win cards, and Keno games. The full list of legal online games is always available on the official lottery website.