Fantasy 5 Winner

A man from Lansing, Michigan has won $599,705 by matching all five numbers in a Fantasy 5 lottery draw. Now $599,705 might not sound like one of the biggest prizes in the lottery world, but when you consider that Fantasy 5 is a game that is played seven days a week and has a jackpot that starts at just $100,000, we think that a win of almost six times that amount is a great achievement.

The Fantasy 5 game requires players to select 5 numbers from 1 to 39. When the draw takes place at 7:30pm, five balls are chosen at random. If the player matches all five balls they win the jackpot. Players matching 4, 3 or 2 balls win a lesser prize. Should no player match the five main numbers, the jackpot pool is increased by around $5,000 for the next day.

The winner, who has requested to remain anonymous, is said to be a regular player of Michigan lottery game, and has won $5,000 playing their Daily 4 game no less than eleven occasions. Although this is undoubtedly impressive, his win of $599,705 eclipses all of his previous successes, and is a great payout for a daily lottery game.

Most American lotteries are paid as a lump sum or in the form of annual instalments over twenty to thirty years. Fantasy 5 winners do not have an annuity option, so the Lansing winner will automatically get every cent of his win just as soon as the required taxes have been deducted.

The Michigan Lottery was established in 1972 and today it offers a wide range of lottery games, including Daily 3, Daily 4, Keno, Classic Lotto 47, Fantasy 5 and Mega Millions. Money raised from the sale of lottery entries goes to a School Aid Fund which assists public education throughout Michigan. In 2006 alone, the money raised for this good cause was some $688 million.