Prize list to appear weekly

by Commissioner Gary Peters

The Lottery makes a concerted effort to provide the means for players to become informed about prize availability for its instant games.

Recently, we have come under criticism for continuing to sell tickets when their top prize has, in fact, been claimed. As a result, we are taking additional steps to better address these customer concerns. And you, our retailers, play an important role.

As you know, it is not uncommon for a top-prize winning ticket to be purchased and remain in the player's possession for quite some time—months even—before being claimed. Although that prize is unavailable, we are blind to that fact until the player finally claims the prize.

We do not know, program or monitor where a top prize, or any prize, will appear in an instant game. Consequently, we have no possible way of determining if any prize is unavailable until it has been claimed by a winner and validated on our system.

Furthermore, about 85 percent of the prize money allotted to an instant ticket goes to prizes other than the top prize. While, of course, a player would like to win the most money possible, thousands of folks are thrilled to win any of the millions of dollars currently available in non-jackpot instant prizes.

In fact, many players choose instant games for just that reason: the availability of thousands of great prizes improves their chances of winning.

While the prize availability information is currently available on the Lottery's website (michigan.gov/lottery) and players are encouraged to check the site, we recognize that everyone does not have Internet access.

And although the back of each instant ticket reminds players that prize availability is subject to prior sales and they are urged to check the website for the top prize availability, we also recognize that not everyone reads the fine print.

You, as our most direct link to the players, can be invaluable in getting the word out. To help our players make informed decisions, we will switch from providing you with a monthly listing to a weekly listing of top remaining prizes available; this will be included in your instant ticket shipment.

We will include a point-of-purchase display for this information, and we strongly encourage all of you to make this part of your permanent Lottery display. Players will see what top prizes are remaining and will play accordingly.

In the long run, this change will benefit both your business and the Lottery's business. By posting this information, you are assisting players at the time they are making a purchase, and the Lottery is being as open and helpful as possible.

New instants
• $2 "Mother's Day" (top prize $15,000)
• $2 "Tic Tac Wild" ($30,000)
• $1 "Diggin' for Dollars"($4,000)
• $1 "Jackpot Fiesta"($6,000)
• $3 "Raceway Riches"($50,000, plus second chancedrawings for NASCAR racing trips and merchandise)