The raffle operates like a standard 50/50 raffle players might see at a local sporting event:  the jackpot grows with every ticket sold and the winner receives half of the take. Single wagers are $5 each and the more tickets you buy, the more you save:  five wagers cost $20; 15 wagers cost $50; and 40 wagers cost $100.

Like other raffles, unique seven-digit raffle numbers will be printed on players' tickets starting with 0000001 and increasing until sales end on September 27. On September 28, a drawing will be conducted to select one winning raffle number. The owner of the winning raffle ticket will walk away with a huge prize!

"We are the first lottery in the country to conduct a 50/50 raffle," said Lottery Commissioner M. Scott Bowen. "We are excited to offer this raffle to our players, and I look forward to handing out a big check to one lucky player."

The size of the jackpot depends on how many tickets are purchased, and the jackpot grows with every ticket sold. For every dollar wagered, $.50 goes into the jackpot. The jackpot will continue to grow and players will be able to get jackpot updates at the Michigan Lottery Web site, www.michigan.gov/lotteryor the Lottery Player's Club Web site, www.michiganlottery.com.

Over 94 cents of every dollar spent on Michigan 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 2009, the contribution to schools was $724.5 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to education in Michigan.

For information on all Lottery games, please visit the Lottery's Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery.

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