The highest-paying scratch-off card game in Massachusetts has had two of its three $25 million jackpot awards claimed.
On Wednesday, state lottery authorities said that a second winner of the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” game had emerged.
With tickets costing $50 apiece, the most expensive scratch-off game in the state has only one top prize remaining for participants.
However, the scratch-off offers participants a 1 in 4 chance of winning, which is better odds than any other state lottery game.
The second jackpot winner’s identity is still unknown; a proxy received the award on his behalf.
Attorney Thomas Percy told CBS News that the winner “made a little extra money” before purchasing the ticket, allowing him to splurge on the game.
A Red’s on Brayton Avenue in Fall River, which will get a bonus of $50,000 for selling the game, is where the winning ticket was bought.
$16,250,000 was paid to Percy on behalf of the winner.
State lottery officials released a statement, saying, “Percy said the winner is a kind and thoughtful person who is looking to do the right things in life, and winning this prize will help them accomplish this.”
“He described the winner as a family person, humble, and very appreciative,” they said.
A trust agent also won the first jackpot reward in the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” back in August.
Massachusetts does not enable lottery winners to be anonymous outright, but it does allow them to conceal their names through trusts.
State lottery winners have the option to establish a trust and choose a trustee to collect the winnings and deposit them into an account that the winner may access.
“A trust or other legal entity that meets the requirements of being considered a legal person may claim prizes,” said Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery, in an interview with MassLive’s local reporters.
“The trustee’s or legal representative’s identity is disclosed to the public.”
He stated, “We have seen an increase in the number of large prizes claimed by trusts over the last several years.”
When the winners came forward, trusts also represented the other two large lottery winners in Massachusetts this year, who won $33 million and $31 million in jackpots from the Mega Millions games sold by the same retailer.
I won the lottery and transformed $20 into $5 million, but as soon as I made the big choice to collect my award, I lost all of my money.
Haines City, Florida, resident Rickey Johnson won the $5 million top prize from a Gold Rush Limited scratch-off game that he purchased at his neighborhood convenience shop.
According to FOX 35, the 66-year-old bought the lucky scratch-off ticket at Haines City Food Mart.
For stocking the winning card, the convenience store will get a cool $10,000 commission.
Johnson chose to take home $3.96 million in one big amount after taxes.
The state agency claims that there is a $5 million top prize on the scratch-off ticket, along with 100 prizes totaling $1 million.
“Big Win Alert! Rickey Johnson from Winter Haven’s life changes with a $5 million win from the $20 GOLD RUSH LIMITED Scratch-Off game,” tweeted the Florida Lottery.
“Cheers to Haines City Food Mart for helping make dreams come true!”
This follows the most daring lottery fraud in history, in which two dishonest brothers utilized a “secret code”; nonetheless, they lost out on the grand prize due to an error.
When Eddie Tipton was employed by the Multi-State Lottery Association in Iowa in 2005, he started his “Hot Lotto” scam.
He created a mysterious computer and programmed it to generate random numbers for lotteries.
That meant he could create his own codes and claim his winnings from the lottery.
Through his con, he won two drawings, while his brother Tommy had won 10 years before.
Even though she chose to accept a lower sum, one lottery winner has stated elsewhere that she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.
Mysteries surrounding the lottery executive’s silent pay suspension and lack of information about his dismissal weeks after his final appearance in the office
Just a few weeks after abruptly leaving the lottery, an executive was placed on paid leave.
The Massachusetts State Lottery’s top marketing officer was put on paid leave last month; no explanation was provided, and there was no word on when he could return to work.
Since CMO Edward Farley hasn’t been spotted at the Massachusetts Lottery offices since early November, there are still unanswered questions. The Boston Herald was informed by an unidentified agency spokesperson.
Farley, whose job pays around $177,752 a year, did not give a reason for taking the abrupt leave of absence.
Furthermore, no end date for the leave was specified, raising the possibility that it would last indefinitely.
In the midst of speculation about Farley’s dismissal from the Massachusetts State Lottery, a representative informed the magazine, “He is currently on paid administrative leave, effective November 8.”
“The Lottery does not discuss personnel matters as a matter of policy.”
The lottery commission is overseen by State Treasurer Deb Goldberg. When The Boston Herald inquired about Farley’s absence, a representative for Goldberg’s office sent them to lottery personnel for further information.
According to the journal, Farley began working for the Massachusetts State Lottery in 2015, first holding the position of assistant executive director before rising fast to chief administrative officer.
Farley received an official promotion to chief marketing officer in the summer of 2022.
