50 People Win Massachusetts Lotto Jackpot at the Same Time

A total of 50 players won the Massachusetts cash jackpot in what is being called an all-time record, according to the state lottery agency. 

The popular game, which only costs $1 to play, has been around for decades. The nightly draw game sees players choose five numbers between one and 35 and mark the choice on a slip. WCVB-TV reported that if a player matches five out of five numbers, they win the top prize, which is usually $100,000.

On Dec. 8, state lottery officials reported that 50 people chose the winning combination of numbers. And, according to Massachusetts State Lottery representative Christian Teja, multiple winners is not as uncommon as one may think. In fact, the largest previous number of people to win at one time was 34, the Associated Press reported. 

“Interestingly, on the bet slip that you must fill out in order to purchase a ticket, if you look at it, the numbers that all came up are in a vertical line, one on top of the other and sequentially, they're all six digits apart,” she told WCVB-TV.

Some more good news for the winners: The jackpot does not have to be split in 50 ways. When total prizes exceed a certain percentage of sales, the state agency uses a formula to determine the prizes amounts. In this instance, each winner gets to claim $48,000, the AP reported.

The winning tickets were bought from all over the state, according to the news outlet. People bought tickets in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, Barnstable on Cape Cod, Easthampton, Ludlow and Lawrence.

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