Early risers receive Montana Millionaire tickets

Montana Millionaire ticket sales began at 5:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1, and people were already lining up outside Schulte's Supermarket in Great Falls — and other lottery retailers across the state — for more than an hour earlier.

Early risers get Montana Millionaire tickets

Wendy Haas of Great Falls was first in line at Schulte and was excited to get her hands on one of the $20 tickets.

“Tickets used to sell out so quickly, and I love Schulte's. I always get my lottery tickets here, so I told Rory I would be here early in the morning. I didn’t know I was going to show up so early, but I did,” Haas said.

With four million dollar grand prizes, a $250,000 drawing on December 2nd, and 2,300 $500 instant win tickets and 4,500 $100 instant win tickets, people were eager to to secure tickets.

Schulte owner Rory Schulte said: “I got here around 3:15 this morning, got things rolling, got things going and then we started having people showing up at exactly 3:45 in the morning , and shortly afterward there was a line around the building.”

Schulte's opened early at 5:25 a.m., just before ticket sales began at 5:30 a.m., and it wasn't the only busy store.

Images on social media show lines of people snaking through the aisles of convenience stores across the state, and in some cases long lines stretching to the doors of stores.

John Riley – MTN NEWS

The Montana Lottery announced at 8:24 a.m. that all 500,000 tickets available this year had been sold: “Now hold on to your hats (and your tickets)! Montana Millionaire is officially SOLD OUT in less than 3 hours. We hope you made it to take part in this year’s raffle.

This year's sales pace exceeded last year's, when all 380,000 available tickets were sold within five hours.

Last year there were three prizes worth $1 million each – and one of them was sold at the Heidelberg Lounge on Division Road in Great Falls.

Blair Michel of Heidelberg said Thursday: “I feel like someone winning locally, and especially here, makes things a little more exciting and makes people feel like they're within reach.”

Excitement over the sale of Montana Millionaire tickets

The Heidelberg opened at 5:30 a.m. Friday and served coffee and donuts to people who didn't want to miss the chance to get a ticket – and the parking lot was already full before then.

Later Friday, Montana Lottery officials noted that the very first ticket sold this year was at the Wild Hare in downtown Great Falls:

Montana lottery

Back at Schulte, Rory is grateful for his loyal customers and has no problem going to work for them at 3 a.m.

“It's been really rewarding for us to be in the community for so long, and with that comes a kind of responsibility to our customers to take care of them. And that’s why we opened early this morning, like many others,” explained Schulte.

A Quarter Million Monday drawing for $250,000 will take place on Monday, December 2, 2024; This replaces the previous “Early Bird” drawings.

The drawing for the four grand prizes, each valued at $1 million, will take place on Thursday, December 26, 2024. Click here to visit the Montana Lottery website.

There are several changes for this year's Montana Millionaire.
SUMMARY OF CHANGES

• Four grand prizes worth $1 million
• 500,000 tickets available
• “Quarter Million Monday”
• More instant wins

The agency is adding another $1 million grand prize this year, bringing the total to four. This comes after last year's increase in prizes from two to three prizes worth $1 million each.

The number of tickets sold rose to 500,000 this year – up from 380,000 in 2023. Tickets remain $20. Last year all tickets were sold within five hours.

The Montana Lottery is also adding a $250,000 “Quarter Million Monday” drawing on Monday, December 2, 2024; This will replace the previous “Early Bird” drawings.

There will also be additional instant win prizes: 2,300 instant win tickets worth $500 and 4,500 instant win tickets worth $100.

The draw for the main prizes will take place on Thursday, December 26, 2024.

PREVIOUS WINNERS
The $1 million tickets won last year and where they were sold:

• 299951 – Kalispell City Pump (2910 US 93 South)
• 315800 – Town & Country Supply (Hilltop Road in Billings)
• 346589 – Heidelberg Lounge (Division Road in Great Falls)

Past million-dollar winners over the years include three from Butte, two from Great Falls, four from Billings, two from Columbia Falls and one each from Winnett, East Helena and Laurel.
In 2022, no one claimed either Montana Millionaire prize, so the money went to the State General Fund.

Due to a change in law, the Montana Lottery is no longer permitted to publish the names of Montana Millionaire winners without their express consent.

WHO CAN BUY TICKETS – AND HOW MANY?
The Montana Lottery has provided answers to several frequently asked questions:

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the Montana Lottery, here is the contact information:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 406-444-5825
Address: Montana Lottery, 2525 North Montana Avenue, Helena, Montana, 59601-0598

Where does the money go?
The money generated by the lottery is used in various ways.

“The purpose of the lottery is to generate revenue for the state of Montana. Most sales go toward paying out prizes and operations, and essentially whatever is left over at the end goes back to the state. That is determined by state legislative action and the beneficiary, as we call it, has changed several times,” Montana Lottery content manager Dan Iverson told MTN News a few months ago.

Currently, the first $2.25 million will go to the Montana Stem/Healthcare Scholarship Program, operated by the Office Of The Commissioner Of Higher Education and the Montana University System. Whatever is left goes to the state's general fund, which is determined by the legislature.