Michigan Lottery Powerball: How to play and claim bonuses

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Read this extensive Michigan Lottery Powerball review and get all the answers you are looking for.

Michigan Lottery Powerball Review: How to play Powerball?

There are two ways you can play Powerball with the Michigan Lottery:

In-Store
Online

If you prefer to go to a retailer and play, this is what you need to know. After you pick a payslip from the retailer and start filling it out. First, you need to choose five white ball numbers from one to sixty-nine and a red ball number from one to twenty-six. You can randomize your selection by marking the “Easy Pick” box. Next, you have to choose if you want to add the “Power Play” option increasing the price by $1 per play. “Power Play” allows you to multiply your non-jackpot prize by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X. Then you have to choose how many drawings you wish to play. You can participate in up to thirty drawings with the same numbers and payslip. Then you have to hand in your payslip and get your ticket.

If you prefer not to leave the comfort of your home, but you still wish to play Powerball, all you have to do is visit the Michigan Lottery site and choose a buying option from:

Pick My Numbers – you just pick five white ball numbers (1-69) and one Powerball number (1-26).
Easy Pick – you only pick how much you want to pay ($6, $10, or $20), and the numbers generated randomly.
Combo My Numbers – you pick from six to ten numbers from one to sixty-nine and a Powerball number from one to twenty-six and let the computer generate each possible combination of numbers.
Use Favorite Purchase – choose one of your previously saved ticket numbers.

You can also use the “Power Play” option here as well. After you are done, you can use some of the MI Lottery’s features like “Save as Favorite Purchase.” Checkout, pay for your ticket, and just wait for notifications if you won anything.

How to Claim Powerball Jackpot prizes?

The player chooses how he or she wants to receive their prize. You have two options to choose from:

Cash
Annuity

If you wish to be paid via Cash, the transaction will be a one-time payout. If you want the second option – annuity, you will receive it in thirty payments. No matter which option you select, the Michigan Lottery will be required to withhold the estimated state and federal tax amounts while you will have to submit a tax claim.

Shared Jackpots

The only way to declare a shared jackpot is if two or more people match all six numbers (Match White Balls + Powerball numbers) in the same drawing. The prize is divided between the winners equally no matter which method you choose to receive your prize. If the reward is above $50,000, you have to pick it up from the Lottery headquarters in Lansing personally. If you win an award between $600 and $50,000 you can pick it up at any of the Lottery regional offices:

Lansing
Livonia
Detroit
Sterling Heights
Grand Rapids
Saginaw

Jackpot, Price and other Game Details

What is Powerball? It’s a Draw Game with a jackpot that starts from $40 million. You can play it both in-store and online at the Michigan Lottery. Each Powerball ticket costs $2, but it could be more depending on how many drawings you selected to play and if you chose to include Power Play. There are drawings every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM. The game is available in Michigan and other forty-four US states. Currently, the estimated jackpot is over $90 million. You can he odds for each possible outcome are listed on the information page of the game. You can also see what they are for each outcome of the game. For example, the odds of winning the big jackpot are currently one in 292,201,338.

Michigan Lottery Powerball Promotions

Currently, there are no Powerball related promotions on the Michigan Lottery website. You can, however, be sure that you are notified if there ever are. Just go to your account, find the notification preferences, and set how you wish to receive them.

The Michigan Lottery offers an impressive welcome bonus to its customers. You get a 50% deposit bonus plus free games of Treetop Treasures. You have to follow these steps:

Register and make sure you don’t forget to fill in the Promo Code for the offer in the form.
Deposit funds to your account.
Use those funds to play any Draw or Instant game, or both.
Claim your bonus and enjoy the benefits.

New Customer FAQs

Q: If I win a prize with Powerball, will my identity be disclosed?
A: When you purchase the Powerball ticket, you forfeit your rights to anonymity and agree that your identity may be disclosed.

Q: If I have owed a debt, can I still receive my reward?
A: Depends on the amount of debt and the prize. Michigan state law requires from the Lottery to check if you have any unpaid debts and, if so, to apply for the payment there first. But that will only happen if your prize is above $1,000.

Q: Do I have to pay taxes for my winnings?
A: Yes, you do. If you win a prize greater than $600, you will receive a W2-G form, and also you will need to fill out a claim form. The amount of the tax withheld will be on the W2-G form. You don’t necessarily pay it from your pocket, but the fees are withheld from your winnings. Prizes above $5000 are subject to not only state tax law but federal as well.

Q: What are the requirements to purchase tickets online?
A: To play online, you have to be at least 18 years old, be a resident of the state, and physically be within its borders. When you purchase a ticket, you also agree to all applicable terms.

Q: If I missed the drawings for my ticket, can I see them anywhere?
A: If you missed the drawings, you can visit the website and see the Powerball game page. There you will find a link for all the Michigan Lottery Powerball past winning numbers, and you can even select a date for which you wish to see the numbers.

Q: Is the Michigan Lottery website legal?
A: Yes, it is but only to legal residents of the state who are in it at the time of playing.

Q: Which documents do I need to provide to be able to withdraw my winnings?
A: That depends on with which method you plan to withdraw your winnings. You need to provide a photocopy of your ID, driver’s license, or passport. If you chose to withdraw to a credit/debit card, you also need to provide a copy of the card itself. If you wish to withdraw via bank transfer, you also need to provide either a voided check or a letter from your financial institution. They both need to include the account number, account holder’s name, and the institution’s routing number. Contact customer support if you have any additional questions about the withdrawal process.

Q: Can I self-exclude myself, or do I have to delete my account if I fear I have a problem.
A: You can use the self-exclusion option found in the Responsible Gaming section of your account. You can set an exclusion period of:

One week
One month
Three months
Six months
One year
Two years

Q: If I have to travel outside of the state, can I still buy tickets through the app?
A: No, you can’t. You can only buy tickets from Michigan if you wish to use the app outside of the state; you can only do limited things like checking the winning numbers, etc.

Q: Can I see if I have any unreported winnings?
A: Yes, you can. Go to My Account>History>Tax Reported Prizes. There you can also submit a claim for your winnings by providing your social security number. You can also use this menu if you wish to check on the status of your previously submitted request.

Q: Do I need to create an account to use the Lottery mobile app?
A: No, you don’t. Using the app for checking winning numbers, finding retailers, watching live Keno drawings, and using the number tools doesn’t require an account. If you wish to access more of the features available on the app, you will need an account.

Q: I downloaded the mobile app from Google Play, but I can’t buy any tickets, why is that?
A: The MI Lottery Google Play app is only the LITE version. Meaning you can only use its essential features (checking winning numbers, finding retailers, etc.) if you wish to use the full app you will have to download it from the Lottery’s website.

Michigan Lottery Powerball Review: Lottery Features

Platform Experience

Using the website was simple, and I had no problems locating the games and pages I needed. The pages with the games were full of information I didn’t know I wanted to ask. Besides, the “How to Play” section, I had access to the Michigan Lottery Powerball Prize Table and other useful details.

Lottery’s Mobile App

Many people have different opinions on the Michigan Lottery mobile app, and they are contradicting. There are two available apps. One is the iOS app you can get at the App Store for your iPhone or iPad version 10+. The second one is “the Droid,” which is available only if you download it from the Michigan Lottery website for all Android devices version 5.0+. You can also find a version of the app on Google Play, but that is the Lite version, and you won’t be able to do a lot of things on that app outside of checking winning numbers, etc. Since the Apple policy changes, MI Lottery isn’t able to make updates for the app, which means that as the new iOS versions are out, your app may glitch and even freeze. If such a situation occurs, we suggest that you use the mobile site. The site itself is a mini version of the desktop website you are used to.

Top Features

The Lottery’s features help us play games or complete lottery tasks faster. The best of them are:

Ticket Scanner
Powerball tickets available online
Mobile App
Number Tools
Favorite purchase

I enjoyed that I could save my ticket for the future because I like to use the same numbers, and filling it out over and over again seems pointless. This feature, along with the online purchase of Powerball tickets, also saved me time because I didn’t have to go to a retailer. The ticket scanner and other app features are also helpful, and I could also look up Michigan Lottery Powerball past results.

Pros and Cons of the Lottery

Pros (+)	Cons (-)
Second Chance games	Limited promotions
User-friendly platform	I can’t play outside of Michigan
Detailed info available for each game	I can only play some games in-store
High jackpot prizes	The site design is outdated
Ticket scanner available	The app glitches sometimes

Michigan Lottery Powerball Review: Final Verdict

The Michigan Lottery Powerball numbers game is fun and straightforward. The rules are straightforward, and the best part is that there is no way to cheat. While the current jackpot prize is $90 million, it can go up until a lucky winner draws the winning numbers. I think it is very well-thought-out, especially because Powerball is a cross-state game with most of the US states participating (45 out of 50).

The Lottery itself has some exciting features designed to make our gaming faster and more fun. I enjoyed tools like “Favorite Purchases,” “Tax Reported Prizes,” “Secure Document Upload,” and “Upcoming Purchase Draws.” If you don’t want to pick the same numbers over again each time you purchase a ticket, but you are adamant in playing with them, then the Favorite Purchases option is perfect for you. You can also save multiple sets of numbers, not just one.

The Lottery also provides a user-friendly app and exciting promotions and giveaways you can take part in.