Montana Lottery Announces $250K Winner Ahead of December Million-Dollar Draw

Montana Lottery’s Big Monday Reveal

The Montana Lottery kicked off the week with some exciting news, announcing the winning number for its popular “Quarter Million Monday” drawing. The lucky ticket — 131208 — is worth a cool $250,000. It was one of 620,000 tickets sold in November, each going for $20.

But the fun isn’t over yet. The grand prize drawing arrives on December 26, when five tickets will be pulled for a massive $1 million each.

Where Does All That Lottery Money Go?

You may wonder what happens to the cash flowing through the Montana Lottery. Here’s the simple breakdown:

• Most sales dollars go toward prizes and operational costs.

• After that, the state gets what’s left based on Montana legislative direction.

Right now, the first $2.25 million supports the Montana STEM/Healthcare Scholarship Program, helping students through the Montana University System. Everything beyond that heads straight into the state’s general fund.

Montana Millionaire: Your Top Questions Answered

The Montana Lottery gets a lot of questions, so here are a few clear answers straight from the source:

• Why can anyone buy a Montana Millionaire ticket?
  Because the lottery is open to all adults—residents or visitors. Limiting access would be discriminatory and against their mission.

• Why don’t they limit how many tickets a person can buy?
  Their mission is to raise revenue for Montana programs. Restricting purchases would shrink funds and reduce benefits for residents.

• Why is Montana Millionaire only once a year?
  The exclusivity is what makes it special. While more raffle games could be created in the future, the current once-a-year format is backed by research and strategy.

A Look Back at 2024 Winners

Last year’s Montana Millionaire was intense — all 500,000 tickets sold out in just three hours. On December 26, 2024, four grand-prize winners were drawn:

• 021333 – Cranny’s Club Tavern & Casino, Dillon

• 077800 – Super 1 Foods, Great Falls

• 143115 – Grand Slam Casino, Great Falls

• 416013 – Beartooth Harley Davidson, Billings

Winning Towns Over the Years

Montana Millionaire winners have popped up all over the state. Here’s where past grand-prize tickets have been sold:

• Great Falls: 7 winners

• Billings: 7 winners

• Butte: 3 winners

• Columbia Falls: 2 winners

• Dillon: 2 winners

• Winnett, East Helena, Kalispell, Laurel: 1 each

And here is a quick peek at previous grand-prize winners (before 2021’s law change that limits name releases without permission):

• 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

Fun fact: In 2022, one of the two million-dollar prizes went unclaimed — the unclaimed money was returned to the State General Fund.