A Massachusetts man claimed his $500,000 lottery winnings on Wednesday, just as his ticket was about to expire.
Leonard Thomas, of South Dennis, claimed his Powerball prize in the nick of time -- he bought the ticket last year, and his number was called on Aug. 19, 2020.
“I heard about a Powerball ticket expiring on the radio and then my nephew told me,” Thomas told the Massachusetts State Lottery. “I play at that store and have a plastic sleeve that I keep my tickets in. When I heard about the expiring ticket, I looked through the tickets in the sleeve and found a Powerball ticket from August 19, 2020. I had it scanned at a convenience store and the clerk indicated that I had to go to the Lottery to claim the prize.”
Thomas and his dog, Moriah, collected the prize at the Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters in Dorchester. Thomas said he hopes to use the money to buy a home.
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On Aug. 23, the Massachusetts State Lottery will begin doing Powerball drawings on Mondays, in addition to its regular Wednesday and Saturday drawings, the commission announced on Tuesday.
