GREAT FALLS — On Tuesday, December 26, 2023, most people will still be basking in the glow of opening presents and spending time with loved ones on Christmas - but many will also be hoping for one more really big present.
UPDATE: WINNING TICKETS ANNOUNCED
Tuesday is when the Montana Lottery will announce the three grand-prize winners in its annual Montana Millionaire raffle.
There will be three numbers drawn from the nearly 380,000 eligible tickets that were bought on November 1st - and each of the three will be worth one million dollars (pre-tax). The winning numbers are usually drawn before noon, and we will post them when they are announced.
In addition to the three grand prizes, the Montana Millionaire has also yielded winners of smaller amounts. There were a total of 4,100 “instant win” tickets worth either $100 or $500 each.
There were also two "early bird" drawings. The first was worth $25,000 and was announced on November 24. It was ticket #172886, and was sold at the Albertsons store on Grand Avenue in Billings.
The second one was worth $100,000 and was announced on December 15. It was ticket #274028, and it was sold at the Albertsons store on Third Street NW in Great Falls.
So be sure to have your ticket (or tickets) handy on Tuesday, December 26, when the three one-million-dollar tickets are drawn - we will post the winning numbers when they are announced.
Previous million-dollar winners include three from Butte, two from Great Falls, four from Billings, two from Columbia Falls, and one each from Winnett, East Helena, and Laurel.
The Montana Lottery has provided responses to several frequently-asked questions:
Why don’t you limit Montana Millionaire to Montana residents only?
The Montana Lottery is available to everyone of legal age, whether resident or visitor. Limiting the sale of a product to some people while excluding others is discrimination. It would also be contrary to our mission and place an undue burden on our retailers.
Why don’t you limit the number of Montana Millionaire tickets someone can buy?
The mission of the Montana Lottery is to maximize revenue for the State of Montana. Our proceeds fund Montana’s STEM/Healthcare Scholarship Program and contribute to the General Fund. To limit sales of our products would be contrary to our mission and result in less positive impact for the residents of Montana.
Why don’t you offer Montana Millionaire or another raffle game more than once per year?
The Montana Lottery has a large selection of games available every day of the year. We believe Montana Millionaire is special and successful because it’s exclusive. While it is not impossible that we may introduce other raffle games in the future, currently we have made this strategic business decision based on detailed market research and analysis.
(NOVEMBER 1, 2023) Tickets for Montana Millionaire went on sale at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 - and all 380,000 were sold by 10:30 a.m., just five hours later. That works out to about 76,000 tickets sold per hour, or 1,267 tickets per minute. Last year, there were 280,000 tickets, and they sold out within 29 hours.
For 2023, there are three $1,000,000 grand prizes. There will be two Early Bird prizes this year; one for $25,000 drawn on Friday, November 24; and one for $100,000 drawn on Friday, December 15.
There will be a total of 4,100 “instant win” tickets worth either $100 or $500 each. The grand prize drawing for the three million-dollar prizes will be on Tuesday, December 26.
Montana Lottery director Scott Sales said that public feedback was a big factor in determining how to proceed this year: “Montanans sent a clear message: They love Montana Millionaire and want every opportunity to play. An incremental change wouldn’t be enough, so we’ve gone all in with the biggest increase to the number of tickets we’ve ever done, plus another $1 million grand prize.”
Last year’s two grand prize tickets were sold in Great Falls and Butte. Previous winners of the Montana Millionaire grand prize:
- 2020: Megan Thorstenson, Butte
- 2019: Casey Petero, Columbia Falls
- 2018: Richard Mai, Billings
- 2017: Amy Lambert, Butte
- 2016: Daniel Thompson, Great Falls
- 2015: Jack Barisich, Winnett
- 2014: Jeffrey Fallang, East Helena
- 2013: Russell Miller, Columbia Falls
- 2012: Sam Polesky, Laurel
- 2011: Vern & Mara Wallace, Billings
- 2010: William Morse, Billings
- 2009: Dana Delguerra, Great Falls
- 2008: Mike & Carole McGivern, Butte
- 2007: Gary & BJ Klipstein, Billings
Due to a change in legislation, the Montana Lottery is no longer allowed to release names of Montana Millionaire winners unless they have given consent.
