Lucky woman scoops up the last remaining top prize in instant game
By Kate Northrop
WEST ROXBURY, Mass. — A Massachusetts woman is going to enjoy a much-needed trip to Aruba for Christmas this year after she claimed the last remaining massive top prize of $25 million in a scratch-off game.
It's not hard to imagine all of one's worries slipping away when the prospect of claiming $25 million in the lottery is suddenly within view.
Desiree Fortini-Craft of Hyde Park is looking forward to spending Christmas in Aruba, also lovingly known as "One Happy Island," after claiming the last remaining $25 million top prize in the Massachusetts Lottery's $50 "Billion Dollar Extravaganza" instant game.
She purchased the ticket at Baker Street Market on Baker Street in West Roxbury, which receives a $50,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling it.
This is not the first time Fortini-Craft won big either. In 2006, she claimed a $1 million top prize on another scratch-off ticket.
However, this win is in an entirely different league for her, with $25 million being the largest instant prize ever offered on a Massachusetts Lottery scratch-off ticket.
While many players simply cannot wait to claim their prize out of sheer excitement, Fortini-Craft did not step forward with the ticket right away. She had actually scratched her winning ticket a few weeks ago and stored it in a secure place before going on a trip to Aruba, the Lottery said. She claimed her prize upon her return. It's a wonder how she was able to have so much patience knowing that a winning ticket worth $25 million was sitting at home waiting for her.
Fortini-Craft showed up at Lottery headquarters in Dorchester with her fiancé, Jason Perkins, to claim the prize. She chose to receive the prize as a whopping one-time lump sum payment of $16.25 million before taxes.
They're headed right back to Aruba, too. She and Perkins are hard workers, Fortini-Craft said, and they want to enjoy life. Right now, all they're looking forward to is "having a really good Christmas in Aruba."
She'll also use the winnings to pay off student loans for her three daughters, make some significant family purchases, and buy a new car.
Fortini-Craft claimed the last and final $25 million top prize in the "Billion Dollar Extravaganza" instant game out of the three that were originally available at the game's launch in February. There are still other prizes left to win, including four out of five second-tier prizes of $2 million and seven out of 15 third-tier prizes of $1 million.
With over $1.2 billion in total prizes and an overall prize payout of 82%, this game has the largest amount of total prize money and the highest payout percentage of any game ever offered by the Massachusetts Lottery, the Lottery said in a press release.
The odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 4.1.
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Congratulations!
Sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders, such a lucky young lady with her second big win.
Congrats to the winner - a very Merry Christmas it will be 🌲🌟☃️.
Her three daughters are going to have a clean slate with no more student loans - that is a good way to go.
The tax on the amount will be almost half of the take home. 37% federal and 9% state tax final tax 46% 😳 , that's a whooping 7.4 M but she will have 8.7 M to enjoy.
Congratulations to the couple and family at large.
How about I buy some MM tickets with MP for tonight's drawing 😁
Good luck to all out there.
Always happy to hear about a big win!
Good luck to all who play the lottery!
A payout of 82% is way better for the players than the comparatively low PB and MM payout percentages.
Unfortunately as players we cannot dictate the payout percentages and taxes, so we just voluntarily play knowing all that.
I am glad that I live in a state that doesn't tax the lottery, so after uncle Sam takes his 37%, I get to keep the rest.
Such a lucky young lady with her second big win.
She's paying off her 3 daughters' student loans and she also won $1M in 2006.
Don't get how you assume she's a lucky YOUNG lady.
Lucky Yes, but young not sure bout that one.