News writer; Opinion columnist
November 29th was a big day for the Massachusetts State Lottery as not one but two big winners came forward to claim multi-million dollar jackpots worth a total of over $36 million at the state lottery headquarters in Dorchester.
Instant win
The first big winner collected a $25 million jackpot after scratching their way to victory with the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza,” a $50 instant win scratcher game.
To win, players must match at least one of their 40 numbers to one of the ten winning numbers. The game also features multipliers that can increase the value of their prize by up to five hundred times.
Players can also win by uncovering symbols in the ticket’s bonus boxes. A gold bar symbol is worth $100, a stack of coins symbol wins $500, and a diamond cashes in for $1,000 instantly.
Choosing to remain anonymous, the winner was announced as the Percy Law Group 2023 Lottery Trust-19 of Taunton. Acting as the trust’s representative, Thomas J. Percy chose the cash option and collected a one-time payment of $16,250,000 (before taxes were accounted for).
Percy mentioned that his client purchased the ticket after having made extra money that week. He described the winner as a “family person, humble and very appreciative.”
Red’s, a liquor store in Fall River, will receive $50,000 for selling the winning ticket.
The $25 million prize is the largest ever offered by a Massachusetts lottery instant “scratch and win game.” It was the second of three grand prizes offered by the game, all of which have been claimed.
However, there are still some significant cash prizes available for players in the Bay State, including four $2 million payouts, six $1 million payouts, and 71 $50,000 payouts. The minimum payout for a winning Extravaganza ticket is $100.
Megabucks
The day’s second big winner collected $11.7 million after winning the Mass Lottery’s Megabucks jackpot. Paying just $1 for their ticket, the winning play correctly guessed six of 49 numbers selected in that week’s drawing.
Also choosing to remain anonymous, the prize was claimed by the Let It Be Trust of Foxborough. Trustee Felix Betro elected to take the one-time cash payout and collected a check for $7,486,238 (before taxes were paid). He said that the winner was a grandparent who was excited to cut back on work, spend more time with family, and travel.
An additional $50,000 payout will be made to Joe’s Kwik Mart in Franklin, where the winning ticket was purchased.
The player was also one of the last Megabucks Doubler winners. The game is now called “Megabucks” and offers better odds by shrinking the number of playable numbers from 49 to 44. Payouts at all levels have also increased and there is an additional weekly drawing, with numbers being called every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
The price of the ticket has also increased from $1 to $2.
