Lottery News

A Powerball prize of $500,000 was just one day away from getting expired after a rightful winner from Massachusetts stepped up to claim the almost lost money. Leonard Thomas, a resident of South Dennis won $50,000 in a Powerball drawing that took place on August 19, 2020, but soon forgot about it.

Luckily he had kept the winning ticket in a safe spot for nearly a year after purchasing it at the Mobil gas station on Route 134 in South Dennis.

Thomas told the Massachusetts Lottery that he heard about a Powerball lottery ticket expiring and then my nephew urged me to have a look at the ones he had been purchasing and playing. He explained that he does play at a store and has a plastic sleeve in which he keeps his tickets. So when he heard about the winning lottery ticket expiring, he shuffled through the ones he had in the sleeve and found a Powerball ticket from August 19, 2020. Finding it, he got the ticket checked at the convenience store, and to his surprise, the clerk informed him that he should visit the lottery office as soon as possible.

Thomas along with his dog Mariah visited the Powerball Lottery Headquarters in Dorchester on Wednesday to claim his $500,000 prize just 1 day before the expiration of the ticket.

The lottery urged the players that they should constantly check their tickets after purchasing. Because Powerball and other draw games have a time period of one year from the date of the drawing to claim prizes, and that expired lottery prizes become a part of the net profit that the Lottery again returns to the Commonwealth for distribution to all 351 cities and towns.

And not to forget, starting August 23, 2021, at 10:59 pm EST, Powerball will hold the Monday drawing along with its Double Play feature, available in 13 jurisdictions.

So, get ready lottery players, your chance to bag the Powerball jackpot is not far after all, as there are absolutely no changes in the odds to win. Try your hands on the lottery winning tools and see yourself walking home with lottery prizes.