Lottery still selling tickets after top prizes claimed

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005 | 9:27 a.m.

DETROIT -- A long-standing principle among lottery players is, "You can't win if you don't play." But tickets for dozens of instant Michigan Lottery games continue to be sold even after the grand prizes have been won.

As of Monday, five of the 38 instant lottery games still being distributed to stores no longer offer grand prizes. Lottery officials said top prizes also are gone in as many as 100 other games still on the market.

That means untold numbers of players in coming months will buy tickets costing up to $10 with no chance of winning a top prize, the Detroit News reported in today's editions.

Lottery officials say they're not misleading anyone. They suggest players check the lottery's Web site for weekly grand prize updates. They also cite a disclaimer on the back of each ticket that says "prizes are subject to prior sales."

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