Massachusetts woman wins $25M on scratch ticket, years after claiming $1M prize

Frank O'Laughlin
·1 min read
2

A Massachusetts woman has struck it rich again by winning $25 million on a scratch ticket, more than 15 years after she claimed a $1 million lottery prize.

Desiree Fortini-Craft, of Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood, became the third $25 million grand prize winner in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” $50 instant game last week, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

Before Fortini-Craft came forward to claim her winnings, another $25 million instant prize and an $11.7 million Megabucks Doubler jackpot prize were both claimed.

$25M, $11.7M lottery prizes claimed in Massachusetts on same day

Fortini-Craft, who was joined at Mass Lottery headquarters by her fiancé Jason Perkins when claiming her prize, opted to receive her winnings in the form of a one-time payment of $16,250,000.

Fortini-Craft told the Lottery that they want to enjoy life, are hard workers, and plan on having a really good Christmas in Aruba. She added that she plans to use some of her winnings to pay off student loans for her three daughters, make some big family purchases, and buy a new car.

Fortini-Craft purchased her winning ticket at Baker Street Market in West Roxbury. The store receives a $50,000 bonus for the sale of this ticket.

The Lottery said that Fortini-Craft previously won a $1 million prize in 2006.

While all three $25 million prizes have now been claimed in the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” game, tickets will remain available for purchase as seven of the game’s 15 $1 million grand prizes and four of the game’s five $2 million grand prizes have yet to be claimed.

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