Conversion well underway

By M. Scott Bowen, Lottery Commissioner

The drawing for the Super Raffle game which went on sale in August has been scheduled for November 5. The November 5 drawing will take place regardless of how many of the 250,000 tickets are sold, and all advertised prizes, including the two $2 million top prizes, will be awarded.

Speaking of Raffles, the Lottery’s next Millionaire Raffle, with a price point of $20 per ticket, will go on sale on November 10. We’ve received a number of player requests for the $20 ticket, and this launch date will coincide with the holiday gift-buying season.

The Millionaire Raffle will offer six grand prizes of $1 million each; 12 prizes of $100,000 each; 2,000 prizes of $500 each, and 4,000 prizes of $100 each. Early bird discounts of $2 will be offered to the first 100,000 ticket purchasers; only 600,000 tickets will be sold.
Conversion update
The Lottery’s conversion to a new computer and terminal system is proceeding on schedule. Satellite installation has been completed throughout the state and players are beginning to notice the new, sleeker Lottery terminals as you read this. Those retailers who don’t already have ticket checkers will have them installed as part of the conversion.

As mentioned previously in this column, the conversion to the new system is a very complex and lengthy process. However, given our progress to date, we are hopeful that the process will continue to flow smoothly.

Invitation still open
If you have ideas or concerns about the Lottery business that you’d like to share with us, consider signing up and participating in an advisory discussion. Lottery officials from the Lansing headquarters will be traveling around the state to meet with retailers to get their opinions on what is currently working, what isn’t—and what you’d like to see happen in the future.

If you are interested in participating in these discussions, please contact the Lottery’s Marketing Division at 517.335.5621. We will take your name, business name, phone number—and if you have one, your e-mail address. You will be contacted when a meeting in your area has been scheduled.

Instants
Oct 27:
$2 Dubble Bubble Bucks
$2 Tripling Red 7s
$5 Michigan Hold ’Em Poker

Nov. 10:
$1 Bearing Gifts
$2 Mistletoe Dough
$5 Holly Jolly Jackpot
$10 12 Days of Cash

Nov. 24:
$2 Zodiac Cashword
$2 Wild Time Fever

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 2008, the contribution to schools was over $740 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to education in Michigan.
For additional information, please visit the Lottery’s website at www.michigan.gov/lottery.