A Massachusetts State Lottery player didn’t normally spend $50 on a lottery ticket. But they had made some extra money the week and decided to go for it.
It paid off with a grand prize of $25 million.
On Wednesday, the $25 million prize from the scratch ticket game “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” was claimed.
But the winner’s name wasn’t released. Instead, it was claimed by a trust known as Percy Law Group 2023 Lottery Trust-19 of Taunton.
But the winner’s name wasn’t released. Instead, it was claimed by a trust known as Percy Law Group 2023 Lottery Trust-19 of Taunton. Photo by Massachusetts State LotteryMassachusetts State Lottery
Massachusetts isn’t one of the states that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous. But it can still happen.
The Massachusetts Lottery allows winners to create a trust, in which a trustee is able to turn in the winning ticket, receive the check and then deposit it into a bank account set up for the beneficiary.
“Prizes can be claimed by a trust or other legal entities that fulfill the definition of a legal person,” Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery told MassLive.
“The identity of the trustee or legal representative is made public. Over the last several years, we have seen an increase in the number of large prizes claimed by trusts.”
The $25 million prize was claimed by trustee Thomas J. Percy, who selected the cash option on its prize and received a one-time payment of $16,250,000 before taxes.
Percy told the Massachusetts State Lottery that the winner was 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.
The winning ticket was purchased at Red’s, which is located at 1500 Brayton Ave. in Fall River. The store received a $50,000 bonus for its sale of the ticket.
The $25 million prize is the largest instant “scratch and win” prize ever offered by the Massachusetts State Lottery. One more $25 million prize remains in the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” game.
Overall, there were nine people who claimed a prize of at least $10,000 playing the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” game Wednesday.
The two largest lottery prizes won in the state of Massachusetts so far in 2023 were $33 million and $31 million Mega Millions jackpot prizes. The tickets were each sold a week apart.
