High-value lottery win is a hard birthday present to top

By Kate Northrop

BEDFORD, Mass. — A Massachusetts man won the birthday present of a lifetime after scooping the first top prize in a $50 scratch-off game that awards $1 million a year for life.

It's going to be hard for future birthday presents to top the one a Massachusetts lottery player received on a $50 scratch-off ticket.

A Massachusetts lottery player, whose name was not released by the Massachusetts Lottery, claimed the first top prize in the $50 "Lifetime Millions" instant game, the second $50 scratch-off ticket ever released by the state lottery.

Although the winner's identity was not revealed, the prize was claimed under a trust called "Merjon Tangovan Nominee Trust of Boston." Trust representative Greg Racki showed up to collect the prize on the winner's behalf.

His client received the ticket as a birthday gift and said it was the "best birthday present ever," Racki told the Lottery. The winner plans on purchasing a new car, traveling, and helping out family with the windfall.

The winner opted to receive the prize as a one-time payment of $15.4 million before taxes. After federal and state taxes are deducted from the prize, the total comes to $10,934,000, the Lottery told Lottery Post.

Whoever purchased the birthday gift bought the ticket at Northside Market & Liquors on North Road in Bedford. The retailer receives a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

The $50 "Lifetime Millions" game offers three prizes of $1 million a year for life for a minimum of 20 years, the first of which has been claimed by the Merjon Tangovan Nominee Trust of Boston. There are also three out of four second-tier prizes of $2 million and 10 out of 12 third-tier prizes of $1 million left to win.

The odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 4.1.

The first $50 ticket ever launched in Massachusetts was "Billion Dollar Extravaganza" in February 2023. That game featured three top prizes of $25 million, all of which have been claimed. There are, however, three out of five second-tier prizes of $2 million and three out of 15 third-tier prizes of $1 million remaining.