Michigan is one of the only states that offers the ability to play lottery games online. Players can purchase lottery tickets online for most of the state's lotteries as well as Powerball and Mega Millions. Profits from lottery tickets sales go to the School Aid Fund, which supports K-12 public schools throughout the state. Potential players must be Michigan residents, 18 years old, and register for an account with the Michigan online lottery. The Michigan online lottery also offers promotional codes and a special bonus when signing up. Online Lottery options: Draw, Keno, & Instant Games. Draw Games: Fantasy 5, Lotto 47, Mega Millions, Powerball. Learn how to buy and play Michigan Lottery games online.

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The Michigan online lottery is “the most successful online lottery program in North America” according to their website.

But that’s an uncontested claim for the simple fact that most states don’t offer an online lottery. At best, other states offer “second chance” promotions on losing scratch-offs.

Michigan’s online lottery boasts over 100 different games, and new titles are added on a monthly basis. Everything is exclusively available to Michigan residents who are physically located within state lines.

Every year, about 60% of Michigan lottery sales are paid out to winners, and all profits go to the School Aid Fund.

The Michigan Online Lottery

What Types Of Bonuses Are Available For Online Lottery In Michigan?

The Michigan Lottery offers a deposit-matching online bonus that’s comparable to what’s offered by a traditional online casino.

The Welcome Bonus offers 50% up to $100 on your first deposit. That means if you deposit the maximum $200, you’d have an extra $100 in your account ($300 total). Claim the bonus here.

The terms and conditions are simple: you need to use the bonus money to purchase lottery tickets online or play the different games. That means you can’t simply withdraw the bonus amount, but you can use it to win real cash prizes.

Is Online Lottery Legal In Michigan?

Yes. As long as you’re a Michigan resident and you’re located in the state when you deposit, play the games, and withdraw, it’s completely legal to play the Michigan Lottery online.

On August 11, 2014, the Michigan iLottery beta launched, offering in-state residents the option to play a handful of games online. These included Instant Win games, particularly Keno.

Since then, the popularity of the Michigan Lottery online has grown. The catalog of games has grown more than twentyfold. And while only 13% of eligible residents take advantage, that’s still around 950,000 people.

With that in mind, it’s no wonder their numbers are so impressive:

• In 2019, prizes totaled over $2.3 billion.
• Fiscal year 2018 saw nearly 120 million paid tickets.
• Between 2009 and 2019, an average of 38 Michiganians won millionaire prizes.

The Michigan Lottery is regulated by the Michigan Bureau of State Lottery (not to be confused with the Michigan Gaming Control Board, which regulates online gambling in Michigan).

What Types Of Lottery Games Are Available Online In Michigan?

The Michigan Lottery offers five types of games:

• Instant
• Draw
• Keno
• Pull-Tabs
• Fast Cash

Of those types, pull-tabs and Fast Cash are not available online in Michigan.

The reason is simple for pull-tabs: they print a specific number of tickets with a predetermined payout total. To incorporate an online version would overcomplicate the game.

Fast Cash is a progressive jackpot game that’s exclusive to in-store purchases, likely to encourage visiting Michigan Lottery retailers. Approved locations can encourage additional purchases, but they also receive a commission on lottery tickets sold.

The three remaining types of games have both online and in-person options. Combined, the total is 238 games at the time of writing this article. About 45% are limited to one or the other, while the remaining 10% is available both online and in-store.

How Online Instant Win Games Work

Online instant games involve either selecting numbers or “scratching off” different areas. The goal is for your numbers (selected in Keno or revealed through an online scratch-off) to match the winning numbers.

The advantage of playing Instant Win games online is that you know if you win instantly. No need to scan a barcode or hand it to the retailer.

How Online Number Draws Work

Online number draws work exactly the same way as in-person. You can either have the system randomly choose numbers for you or select them yourself. Then you purchase the ticket, wait for the drawing, and hope that your numbers match the winning numbers.

Cheapest Michigan Lottery Online Games

You can play online Keno and Scratch Cards for as little as $0.05 per try. The Michigan Lottery online allows you to filter games by cost, and there are currently 87 titles that you can play for under a dollar.

Highest Paying Michigan Lottery Online Games

The online games with the highest prizes include:

• Lotto 47

These three options always have a top prize of over a million dollars and can be played online. However, you have 24 additional millionaire jackpot options if you buy in-store.

Best Michigan Instant Win Games

The most versatile online Instant Win game in Michigan is Bullseye Keno. The price ranges from $0.10 to $4.00, and the top prize is $500,000.

The best Instant Win game in terms of odds is Worth Millions, which is only available in stores. This scratch-off costs $30 per ticket, has a top prize of $4 million, and offers about a 1 in 3 chance of winning your money back.

Largest Michigan Lottery Win Of All Time

Michigan’s biggest lottery winner ever was thanks to a 2012 Powerball ticket worth $330 million. Here’s the lucky resident’s story.

How Can I Purchase Online Lottery Tickets In Michigan?

The Michigan Lottery website makes it quick and easy to set up an account. If you’ve ever shopped online, you’ll be familiar with the process.

The first step is registering. Only Michigan residents can legally register on the site. In fact, the two-page registration process has Michigan automatically selected as the state of residence.

You’ll then need to make a deposit before you can play the games. And even if you’re a Michigan resident, you’ll need to be located in the state to make a deposit.

That’s why you’ll see a popup that asks you to allow or deny the site to know your location. You have to click “allow” to proceed with the deposit.

Once you have money in your account, you can use it to play the Instant Win and Keno games or purchase tickets. Simply select the game you want, choose the dollar amount, and submit the purchase. It’s that easy.

How To Download The Michigan Lottery App?

The Michigan Lottery app gives you access to all the instant play and keno games as well as ticket purchases directly on your mobile device.

While you can play through the web browser app on your phone, the app is better optimized for mobile navigation. However, your chances of winning are the same no matter how you play the Michigan Lottery.

To download the iOS app, you can use the link on the Michigan Lottery site. You can also search for it directly in the Apple Store.

For the Android app, you can search in Google Play, but you’ll only find the “lite” version of the app. This is likely because Google blocks gambling apps, so the Michigan Lottery had to get rid of titles that Google rejected.

Thankfully, Android users can visit the Michigan Lottery site to download the full version of the app directly.

What Deposit And Redemption Options Are Available On The Michigan Lottery App?

The Michigan Lottery has a few different online payment options for making a purchase on the site. You have the choice of depositing into your account or buying a ticket outright, but the payment methods are the same no matter which you choose.

To deposit funds or purchase a ticket online, the Michigan Lottery accepts:

• Credit & Debit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover)
• PayPal
• Direct Bank Transfer
• Online Game Card

If you want to deposit in cash, use the online game card. Simply visit a Michigan Lottery retailer, purchase the card, then use the barcode to add the funds to your online account.

To withdraw winnings online, the Michigan Lottery accepts:

• PayPal if it was used as the deposit method
• Direct bank transfer
• Retail voucher

To receive winnings in cash, select the retail voucher, wait for approval, then proceed to the nearest Michigan Lottery retailer location to redeem.

Can You Play Powerball Or Mega Millions In Michigan?

Yes. Michigan is one of 45 States that participates in the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries. Other areas include Washington D.C., the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Both cost a minimum of $2.00 per play, and they’re available online and in-person. You can also pick your own numbers or have some randomly generated for you.

The more people who play these two draw games and the longer it goes without a winner, the higher the potential prize becomes. The result can be enormous jackpots, which is why both are incredibly popular games.

The biggest single winner in lottery history, which includes the entire world, was Mavis L. Wanczyk of Massachusetts, who scored $758.7 million on the Powerball.

The largest jackpot total ever was a $1.586 billion Powerball, which was won by three different people who lived in Tennessee, Florida, and California.

We offer free random lottery number generators for both Powerball and Mega Millions.

Is It Safe To Buy Lottery Tickets Online In Michigan?

Yes. It is safe to buy lotto tickets and play the real-money games directly on the Michigan Lottery website or through their proprietary apps.

However, buying lottery tickets through unlicensed sites is unsafe.

For example, if you’re located outside of Michigan, you may feel compelled to purchase lottery tickets through a third-party service. These are often notorious scam sites that charge high rates on purchases that are otherwise fee-free.

Some of these sites will even buy the ticket for you but won’t mail it to you. They say that if you win, they’ll cash the ticket for you and send you the money. That’s an incredibly high level of trust you’d be giving an unlicensed, unregulated, and ultimately illegal site.

If you’re a Michigan resident and traveling outside of the state, we recommend waiting until you get back before you play the lottery online.

Michigan Online Lottery FAQ

Ohio Lottery Online Games

18 years old. To play the lottery in Michigan, you need to be 18 years or older.

Anyone over 18 from out of state can purchase lottery tickets and play Instant Win games by visiting a lottery retailer in person.

However, you must be a legal adult and resident of Michigan to take advantage of the MI online lottery.

As of August 2020, there are 182 Instant Win games offered by the Michigan Lottery. Of those options, 95 are available online while 87 are available in-store.

The types of online Instant Win games available in Michigan include:

• Four variations of Instant Play Keno
• 33 other types of number-match games
• 61 symbol match games
• “Crosswords” known as “cashwords”
• And several more options

What might be the best part of the Michigan Online Lottery is the ability to filter the games by type, price, prize, theme, and more. With close to 200 options, it’s practically essential.

No, the Michigan Lottery does not offer a VIP program.

Normally, a VIP program is where you earn points based on your past purchases. These are very common in online casinos and sports betting sites. However, it is not yet an option for the Michigan Lottery.

If you search for a MI lotto VIP program, you’ll likely see VIP Gold, VIP Platinum, and VIP Black. But those are all online Instant Win games.

Yes. You can purchase Powerball and Mega Million tickets online directly on the Michigan Lottery website. You can do the auto-select or choose your numbers as well.

To buy Powerball and Mega Millions tickets online in Michigan, you need to be a state resident, physically located in the state, and be above 18.

Both tickets are also available in retailers across the state if you’d prefer to buy in-person.

No. Only residents located in the state can play the Michigan Lottery online.

Whether playing from a desktop or mobile device, you’ll need to allow the Michigan Lottery to know your location so they can confirm you’re within state lines.

You need to provide specific personal information—including residence—to register and purchase tickets. You will also need to provide proof of identity before you can withdraw winnings.

The State of Michigan will automatically withhold 4.25% of your winnings if you win over $5,000 on a single ticket or game. However, you’re required to report all winnings and pay that 4.25% tax rate.

Further, the Federal tax is 25%, and you’re legally obligated to report net winnings over any fiscal year to the IRS.

TaxAct has a helpful lottery tax calculator in case you want to see what your winnings will be after the government takes their slice.

Second Chance Michigan Lottery Games

Not legally, no. The Michigan Lottery online allows you to play many different games and buy a variety of tickets online. You can even do the interstate Powerball and Mega Millions from your desktop computer or mobile device. But they do not mail you tickets.

You could potentially hire a third-party service to buy physical tickets for you and deliver them to your address. But you’ll be up-charged for the service, and there is a possibility that it might be a scam.

Michigan Lottery Game Odds

In September 2020, the Michigan Lottery started to offer subscriptions for Powerball, Mega Millions, and a variety of other lottery games. The tickets are purchased weekly until the subscription is cancelled.