Who's the spud behind the trust? Attorney reveals reason for trust name
By Kate Northrop
A Massachusetts-based trust had a spud-tacular day Thursday when they claimed a $29.71 million Megabucks lottery jackpot — the largest prize in the game's history since its inception in 1982.
After the exciting jackpot roll for the record-breaking Megabucks prize finally came to an end in September, the winner, Mr. Potato Head Trust, has stepped forward to claim the winnings.
The trust, based out of Springfield, Massachusetts, was represented by Hyman Darling, an attorney with law firm Bacon Wilson.
Whoever is behind the trust decided to claim the prize as a one-time lump sum payment of $19,635,669 before taxes on Thursday, Oct. 28 at Massachusetts Lottery headquarters in Dorchester.
Darling said the winner arrived at "Mr. Potato Head Trust" as the official name for the trust because they know someone who reminds them of Mr. Potato Head.
The historic jackpot-winning ticket matched all six numbers in the Sept. 7 drawing — 21, 28, 31, 34, 40, and 44 — and was purchased at King Mart on Westfield Road in Holyoke. For selling it, the retailer received a $50,000 bonus commission from the Lottery.
It's been decades since the last time the Megabucks jackpot was ever this high. The previous record for the biggest Megabucks jackpot in the game's history was on Oct. 16, 1985 for a $21.7 million prize split by eight winning tickets. According to the Massachusetts Lottery, it was the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history at the time.
Megabucks originally launched in November 1982 and was renamed Megabucks Doubler when it added the Doubler mechanism to the game in 2009.
On Nov. 12, 2023, the game went through extensive changes: the number matrix was lowered from 6/49 to 6/44, the Doubler was eliminated, the game reverted to the original "Megabucks" name, the ticket price was increased from $1 to $2, all non-jackpot prizes were doubled, the odds of winning were made significantly better, and a new drawing was added on Mondays.
The Megabucks jackpot currently stands at $2.55 million for the next drawing on Saturday, Oct. 31. Megabucks drawings take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. EST.
All winning numbers, prize amounts, and odds can be found on Lottery Post's Massachusetts Lottery Results page.
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This is a "non-anonymous" state, so does that mean a public records request will reveal the winner's true identity? Who knows, but at least they got around having their name and picture released initially with a lawyer and trust.
At least the lawmakers were attempting to make the state anonymous... They had Senate Bill 260 filed in 2025. The bill must have died.
Admin: Here is the updated link to the statement about anonymity.
Is a photograph required of me when making a prize claim?
Lottery regulations state that a claimant's name, city or town, image, amount of prize, claim date and game are public record. Therefore, photographs may be taken and used to publicize winnings.
https://helpdesk.masslottery.com/support/solutions/articles/159000434773-is-a-photograph-required-of-me-when-making-a-prize-claim-
If Mr. Potato Head was a real person that's exactly how he would look! Life imitating art. LOL
This is why the pinned summary on anonymity/non anonymity is important and lists the possible legal loopholes to try to get around the various degrees of non anonymity. Even with the possible legal loopholes like a trust, it is unclear how other lottery or state laws could affect any legal loophole. Until these gray areas are clarified in the law or lottery policy, it is impossible to know at this point.
So true!
* Right. We all God's creatures, but not you.Cause we know you drop dead gorgeous, have porcelain skin & no wrinkles whatsoever. 🤨
When I read, "Attorney reveals reason for trust name", I thought Crawford Shaw would appear saying "because we already used our original name Hexham Investments".
Still love your harmless Mr. Potato head comment.
* Wow, all those things they say about you are true.