New state law prohibits higher prize payments

By M. Scott Bowen, Lottery Commissioner

Governor Granholm recently signed into law legislation that prohibits Lottery retailers from paying a prize amount greater than that which is authorized by the Lottery. A number of readers probably wonder what this means. Only a handful of retailers will need to change their behavior.

In the Detroit area, some Lottery retailers offer prize amounts higher than what the Lottery pays in order to attract customers to their stores for Lottery purchases. The Legislature felt that this created unfair competition among those retailers who could afford to pay the bonuses and those who could not.

It is important to note that this law does not affect second-chance promotions or any other offering that is sanctioned by the Lottery. It strictly involves retailers offering and paying higher cash prizes, mostly in the Daily 3 and Daily 4 games, than those offered by the Lottery.

Many retailers who were recently engaged in this practice have already stopped it. Please remember that it is now prohibited by law.

New instants
July 7:
• $2 Blazin’ Hot Bucks
• $5 Wild Time – 15th Anniversary
• $10 Fabulous Fortune
July 21:
• $1 Triple It
• $2 Extreme $500s
• $2 Gold Bar Bingo

Still on sale are the Glittering 7s Sweepstakes series of tickets, featuring Ruby Red 7s ($10), Sapphire Blue 7s ($5) and Emerald Green 7s ($2). In addition to millions of dollars in instant win cash prizes, non-winning tickets from these three games are also eligible for over $1,000,000 in second-chance drawing prizes.

Summer events
The Lottery is beginning its summer events season, and the first stop is Arab American International Festival in Dearborn June 20-22. The Lottery will also be present at the Stars and Stripes Festival in Mt. Clemens Jun 27-29.

Over 95 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 retailers. In fiscal year 2007, the contribution to schools was $748.9 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $14.3 billion to education in Michigan.

For additional information, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery.