While Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day, several fortunate lottery players have won more than $170 million in jackpots on such dates in Michigan
In different cultures across the globe, Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day. Despite being seen as unlucky, Friday the 13th is even recognized in a popular American horror movie franchise that includes a dozen films and TV series. While many consider Friday the 13th as an unlucky day and watch out for unexpected misfortune, others are not bothered by superstition and have even won prizes worth millions on precisely such dates.
This is the case for several players in Michigan, who have won more than $170 million in jackpots since 2008. Ahead of Friday the 13th, which is tomorrow, the Michigan Lottery reminded about fortunate players, who despite the infamous date, have won millions in lottery prizes.
Four Jackpot Wins Recorded on Unlucky Days in Michigan
Suzanna Shkreli, the Lottery’s commissioner, revealed that despite many seeing Friday the 13th as one of the unluckiest days, results show that four players have won Mega Millions jackpots on those days. “The unpredictability and random nature of Lottery games is part of what makes playing fun, and with any luck, we’ll have a fifth Friday the 13th Mega Millions jackpot winner this Friday,” she predicted.
“Michigan Lottery players have cashed in on what many consider to be the unluckiest of days – Friday the 13th – winning four Mega Millions jackpots totaling more than $170 million.“
Suzanna Shkreli, commissioner at the Michigan Lottery
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
Despite the slim odds, four Michigan players bagged $171 million in jackpots from wins secured on Friday the 13th with the first such one happening on June 13, 2008. At the time, a fortunate Kent City man won a $57 million jackpot.
Then, in 2011, on May 13, a Kalamazoo man won the Mega Millions jackpot. The fortunate player enjoyed a $27 million windfall.
On June 13, 2014, a Port Huron woman scored the Mega Millions jackpot once again. At the time, the incredibly lucky winner won $66 million.
The most recent win on Friday the 13th dates back to 2017. This is when a Waterford man won the $21 million Mega Millions grand prize on October 13.
The last time a jackpot from Mega Millions was won in Michigan was back in January 2021. At the time, an Oakland County lottery club secured the game’s grand prize, a mind-blowing $1.05 billion jackpot. This unexpected windfall also marked the largest jackpot ever won in Michigan.
Will there be another fortunate winner who wins a jackpot on the upcoming Friday the 13th?
