Is Michigan Lottery's $50 'Millionaire Maker' Scratch-off Worth the Hype?

The Michigan Lottery recently rolled out a heavyweight contender in the instant game arena: the $50 Millionaire Maker. With a $50 price tag, it’s a steep entry fee, but the promise is right there in the name.

We crunched the numbers to see if this ticket actually delivers on making millionaires, or if it's just a flashy way to spend a grant.

The "Real" Odds of Becoming a Millionaire

At first glance, the path to the very top seems narrow. The game features two Top Prizes of $6,000,000. With an estimated 6,639,359 tickets remaining, the effective odds of hitting that massive jackpot are roughly 1 in 3,319,679.

However, if you look a little deeper, the picture gets much brighter.

Unlike many other games that focus solely on the top prize, the Millionaire Maker is loaded with 12 secondary prizes of $1,000,000. When you combine those with the top prizes, your effective odds of walking away with $1 million or more drop drastically to 1 in 474,240.

Those are significantly better odds for a life-changing amount of money compared to your standard jackpot hunt.

Don't Toss Your Losing Tickets

One of the most attractive features of this specific game is the "Second Chance" promotion. If your ticket is a dud, scanning it in the Michigan Lottery app enters you into one of two Second Chance Drawings, each awarding a $1,000,000 prize.

It’s a smart way to hedge your bet; even a losing ticket technically keeps you in the running for seven figures.

The Math: Risk vs. Reward

From a pure data perspective, this ticket is a mixed bag. The Expected Value (EV) is currently sitting at $-9.18, which is admittedly pretty bad for a $50 spend. You are paying a premium for that shot at the high-tier prizes.

However, that low EV is somewhat redeemed by the game's playability. It boasts a very high Break Even of 31.3% and Overall Odds of 1 in 3.19. This means that while the "cost" of the ticket is high, you are statistically more likely to get your money back (or more) on this ticket than on many others with "better" EV but higher volatility.

Final Verdict

If you are strictly chasing EV, the numbers might scare you off. But if you are looking for the best statistical shot at hitting a $1M+ payday—and you appreciate a high frequency of break-even wins to keep you in the game—the Millionaire Maker is a strong contender.

Want to see the full prize breakdown and current ticket counts?
Check out the full analysis on our Millionaire Maker Game Page.