Massachusetts Lottery

Stylized as “THE LOTTERY” by the state of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Lottery has been operating daily draw games in the Commonwealth since March of 1972. The history of the US lottery’s rebirth in the 70s and 80s starts with Massachusetts, one of the first four US states to operate a modern lottery system.

Massachusetts has a unique place as the creator and distributor of the country’s first modern instant-win scratch-off games. Their current library of 136 games is among the largest in the nation, and instant-win sales are a bigger driver of lottery revenue in this tiny state than in any other.

Draw games are also a big revenue producer in the state, though they’ve whittled down the list of available draw games in recent years, taking away two popular games based on the rules of poker, with no reasoning given.

As of today, the list of draw lottery games available in Massachusetts is:

  • Keno
  • The Numbers Game
  • ALL OR NOTHING
  • Mass Cash
  • Megabucks Doubler
  • Lucky for Life
  • Mega Millions
  • Powerball

The revenue distribution system in Massachusetts is unique in America; revenue is basically handed out among the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns.

The funds are known as “essential unrestricted local aid,” and they’re not earmarked for any specific programs, giving cities and townships total control over how to spend the money. The Massachusetts Lottery’s website says that the money tends to go toward “ … public safety staffing and equipment, snow removal, local road improvements, school services, programs for seniors, and parks and recreation projects.” The Massachusetts Department of Revenue uses a proprietary formula approved by the Legislature to determine how much money goes to each town or city.

For every $1 bet into the lottery system, $0.73 pays back in prizes to players, to the tune of $4.28 billion in fiscal year 2021. Another $0.19 goes to the unrestricted local aid fund. $0.06 of each dollar goes to retailers in the form of commissions and bonuses. Just $0.02 of each dollar goes to running the Massachusetts Lottery itself, among the lowest such numbers in America.

Here’s some evidence of Mass Lottery’s success:

The $5 billion or so that Massachusetts Lottery games produce in revenue each year places the state among the top-five US lottery programs. As the 16th-most populous state, being placed on a list with population behemoths California, Texas, and New York means they’re doing something right.

Massachusetts Online Lottery

The Massachusetts Lottery does not offer online ticket sales. However, players can order official MA Lottery tickets via Mido Lotto from anywhere within state lines.

The Mido Lotto app purchase tickets from authorized retailers on behalf of players and notifies them of winners. When players win $600 or less, Mido Lotto transfers the winnings straight to their online accounts. If a player wins more than $600, Mido Lotto contacts that customer to arrange delivery of the physical ticket so the player can claim the prize directly from the MA Lottery.

Mido Lotto is technically a courier service in the vein of Uber Eats, but in effect, it allows users to buy Massachusetts Lottery tickets online. However, Mido Lotto is not formally affiliated with the MA Lottery.

Players can also download the official Massachusetts Lottery app to scan tickets, claim prizes, watch live keno, enter second chance drawings, and more. In 2021, the Massachusetts Lottery expanded the range of prizes players can claim online.

Now, players can use the Massachusetts Lottery app to cash prizes between $601 and $5,000 directly through their smartphones. Previously, players would have had to claim prizes in those amounts in-person at one of the lottery’s claim centers.

The Math Behind the Massachusetts Lottery

Playing the Massachusetts Lottery is gambling. That’s because playing lottery games means risking money on a game of chance with the expectation of a positive return.

When dealing with a game of chance like the lottery, the conversation inevitably turns to a specific area of mathematics known as probability. Among other things, probability is what is used to determine potential winnings on bets. Using probability, people can compare one game’s likelihood of returning a prize to the same likelihood on other games. It’s one way gamblers look for the “best” slots, video poker games, or blackjack rules.

In the lottery industry, the phrase “return to player” comes up a lot. A game’s return to player is an estimate of how much a player might lose for every dollar bet on a given game. A game’s return to player is posted as a percentage – as in every bet will be returned to the player at a rate of 92%.

Understand that a game’s return to player number is based on long-term play. Basically, just multiply the probability of winning a prize by that prize to determine player return on a given bet.

Since the lottery is built on random chance, real-world lottery results probably won’t resemble the probabilities listed by the game’s providers. It’s only over an infinite number of plays that real-world results will resemble the math behind the game.

If the number is based on an infinite number of plays, why do we use it? The short answer is that it’s the best number we have to easily categorize the many and varied ways to bet in a typical casino.

It’s also possible to make some general assumptions about games using these figures. For example, a video poker game that can be played with a +0.76% expectation is going to feel very different than a lottery game that gives players a 1 in 8 chance of winning any prize.

How does this apply to the Massachusetts lottery?

Playing a Mass Lottery instant win ticket with a return to player of 50%, players should expect to lose $0.50 on every ticket, provided it’s a $1 ticket. Buy $10 worth of these tickets, and the expectation should be to end with about $5 in winnings.

But buying and scratching ten tickets doesn’t provide a sample size nearly large enough to really expect a 50% payout. A player’s -world results may be 7 wins and 3 losses, or 9 wins and 1 loss, but they’re unlikely to literally win half and lose on half of their tickets.

The ups and downs of lottery play are frustrating, but for players who can ride the wave and limit their spending, the ups and downs of random chance can be a blast.

How to Play the Massachusetts Lottery (Drawing Schedules and Buying Tickets)

Most of this page describes and explains THE LOTTERY’S draw games, since these are the games that involve the most detail and draw in the most questions from the general public. The page also includes a sub-section to the state’s popular instant win games, and that section is posted just below this one.

This short guide to each of the Massachusetts Lottery’s games includes details on ticket price, game odds, payback percentages, and prizes.

Keno

Massachusetts Lottery’s Keno game is a blend of traditional draw lottery play and the casino game classic Keno. Mass Lottery’s Keno game is their most frequent draw, with game results every five minutes almost around the clock. Mass Lottery produces Keno results 200 times a day.

The prizes are fixed, unique for Mass Lottery draw games, with not even a top prize or jackpot. Prizes are anywhere from $1 to $1,000,000, depending on the number of spots wagered. The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 15.73, making it a better bet odds-wise than the popular multi-state games (Powerball and Mega Millions) sold in Massachusetts.

Players can bet between $1 and $20 on each game.

Play starts with filling out a Keno slip.

  1. Choose how many numbers (called spots in Keno) that you want to bet on. You can also use a Quick Pick option if you don’t want to pick numbers. The spots are numbered 1 through 80.
  2. Select how many consecutive games you want to play. Massachusetts Lottery allows up to 20 consecutive plays.
  3. Your total wager on the game is the amount of your bet per draw multiplied by the number of draws you’ve selected.

Players earn a payout if they match 0 numbers or any number of spots between 5 and 10, according to the game’s pay table.

Here’s an example list of payouts and odds based on a $1 12-spot Keno ticket:

  • Match 12 numbers and win $1,000,000, with odds of 1 in 478.2 million.
  • Match 11 numbers and win $25,000, with odds of 1 in 5.9 million.
  • Match 10 numbers and win $2,500, with odds of 1 in 184,230.
  • Match 9 numbers and win $1,000, with odds of 1 in 10,482.
  • Match 8 numbers and win $150, with odds of 1 in 980.78.
  • Match 7 numbers and win $25, with odds of 1 in 142.3.
  • Match 6 numbers and win $5, with odds of 1 in 31.05.
  • Match 0 numbers and win $4, with odds of 1 in 43.05.

The most recent addition to the game is the inclusion of the Bonus option.

Players who mark the Keno Bonus section of the bet slip double the cost of their wager for a chance at multiplying their winnings 3, 4, 5, or 10x. The multiplier is random, but at the very least any prize won will be doubled.

The Numbers Game

The Numbers Game is the simplest of Massachusetts Lottery’s current draw lottery collection, a pick-four style game that costs anywhere from $0.25 to several dollars per ticket.

The Numbers Game is drawn twice a day – once at midday (around 1 PM Eastern time) and once in the evening (around 8 PM Eastern time). All sales close 15 minutes before the drawing.

Players are tasked with picking four numbers between 0 and 9. Bettors can choose the numbers on their own or use Quick Pick to have the lottery machine pick them.

Betting is a little complicated, as there are many options. Here’s a breakdown of each of them:

  • 1 number – if any of your 4 numbers match any of the 4 numbers drawn, you win
  • 2 numbers – if any 2 of your 4 numbers match any 2 of the 4 numbers drawn, you win
  • 3 numbers exact – bettors pick 3 numbers in exact order
  • 4 numbers exact – bettors pick 4 numbers in exact order
  • 3 no duplicates – bettors pick 3 numbers with no duplicate numbers
  • 4 no duplicates – bettors pick 4 numbers with do duplicate numbers
  • 4 two pair – bettors pick 2 pairs of 2 numbers

The payouts and odds are lengthy, as are the full range of available bets. For more detailed information on bet types and game odds, check the Mass Lottery The Numbers Game site.

ALL OR NOTHING

Mass Lottery stylizes this game in all caps, like this – ALL OR NOTHING.

Think of this game as Keno Lite. It was introduced before the state’s groundbreaking Keno draw game, and in some ways, ALL OR NOTHING was practice for the design and implementation of this now massively popular Keno draw game.

Here are the details.

Players pick 11 numbers total between 1 and 22. Bettors are allowed to pick their own numbers, or they can use the game’s Quick Pick system.

ALL OR NOTHING is drawn twice a day, a mid-day drawing at 1:30 PM Eastern time, and a night drawing at 9 PM Eastern time.

ALL OR NOTHING has a  feature in the pay table that speaks to its roots in casino Keno – the prize for matching exactly none of the 11 numbers drawn is identical to the prize for choosing all 11 numbers correctly – it’s an equally difficult task, in terms of probability, and deserves an equal reward.

Here’s a look at the prizes and odds for Massachusetts Lottery’s ALL OR NOTHING game:

  • Match 11 of 11 – $100,000 – 1 in 705,432 odds
  • Match 10 of 11 – $500 – 1 in 5,831 odds
  • Match 9 of 11 – $40 – 1 in 234 odds
  • Match 8 of 11 – $4 – 1 in 26 odds
  • Match 3 of 11 – $4 – 1 in 26 odds
  • Match 2 of 11 – $40 – 1 in 234 odds
  • Match 1 of 11 – $500 – 1 in 5,831 odds
  • Match 11 of 11 – $100,000 – 1 in 705,432 odds

The payback percentage here is 48%, about average for a state lottery draw game of this scale.

Mass Cash

Mass Cash is a classic-style American lottery draw game in which bettors pick 5 numbers and hope to match 3, 4, or 5 of the numbers drawn. There’s no bonus game or other special feature to complicate things, just a typical five-number lottery draw game.

Tickets cost $1. The game is drawn daily at just after 10 PM Eastern, and all ticket sales for the day’s drawing end at 9:45 PM Eastern time exactly.

Here’s how to play:

First, select five numbers between 1 and 35. The Quick Pick system can also do the work of picking numbers at random. Bets on up to 14 consecutive drawings are available on each ticket.

This simple game has a simple pay table:

  • Match 5 of 5 numbers and win $100,000, with odds of 1 in 324,632
  • Match 4 of 5 numbers and win $250, odds of 1 in 2,164.21
  • Match 3 of 5 numbers and win $10, odds of 1 in 74.63
  • Overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 72

The payback percentage for Mass Cash is 55.65%, meaning players are losing about $0.44 of every dollar on each ticket purchased.

Megabucks Doubler

Megabucks Doubler is the closest thing Mass Lottery has to a flagship game. It offers the biggest prizes of all the state’s draw games, excepting the multi-state games that Massachusetts participates in. It’s also the longest-running non-modified draw game in their library.

Megabucks Doubler costs $1 to play, though there’s a Season Ticket option that can influence the cost of each play. The game is drawn daily at just before 11 PM Eastern time.

Here’s how to play Mass Lottery’s Megabucks Double draw game:

First, select six numbers between 1 and 49. As with most US lottery games, Quick Pick is available to choose random numbers automatically. Also, bettors can play up to 14 draws with the same numbers.

The Doubler feature from the name is a randomly applied 2x multiplier that prints on the game ticket – players don’t know if they’ve won the Double until their ticket is printed. Bettors with a Doubler ticket enjoy an automatic doubling of any non-jackpot prize claimed.

Here’s the pay table for a standard $1 play without the Double option activated:

  • Match 6 of 6 numbers and win the jackpot (min. $2 million), odds of 1 in 13.9 million
  • Match 5 of 6 numbers and win $2,500, odds of 1 in 54,200.84
  • Match 4 of 6 numbers and win $100, odds of 1 in 1,032.4
  • Match 3 of 6 numbers and win $2, odds of 1 in 56.66
  • Overall odds of any prize are 1 in 54

The payback percentage for Megabucks Double is 32%, which seems low until compared to flagship lottery games in other states. Megabucks Doubler is a little above average in terms of the payback percentage for flagship lottery draw games.

Lucky for Life

Lucky for Life is a lottery drawing game available in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Massachusetts participates in the Lucky for Life system.

Lucky for Life is a daily draw game, which makes it unique among the big multi-state lottery draws. Lucky for Life is also different from Megabucks and Powerball in that its two top prizes are both fixed and annuitized, so-called “lifetime” prizes.

Lucky for Life isn’t one of these multi-state games that offers a long list of world-changing jackpots and headline-grabbing paydays. Lucky for Life’s top prize of “$1,000 a day for life” has only been claimed a couple of dozen times. The second-tier prize, $25,000 a year for life, has been claimed a lot more, some 400 times at the time of this post.

Lucky for Life tickets cost $2.

Bettors pick five numbers between 1 and 48, as well as a Lucky Ball number between 1 and 18. Quick Pick is available, as is the ability to play multiple drawings with the same numbers, up to 10 draws on each ticket.

Here’s the Lucky for Life pay table:

  • Match 5 balls and win $25,000 a year for life, odds of 1 in 1.8 million
  • Match 4 balls and the Lucky Ball and win $5,000, odds of 1 in 143,355
  • Match 4 balls and win $200, odds of 1 in 8,432
  • Match 3 balls and the Lucky Ball and win $150, odds of 1 in 3,413
  • Match 3 balls and win $20, odds of 1 in 200
  • Match 2 balls and the Lucky Ball and win $25, odds of 1 in 249
  • Match 2 balls and win $3, odds of 1 in 14
  • Match 1 ball and the Lucky Ball and win $6, odds of 1 in 49
  • Match just the Lucky Ball and win $4, odds of 1 in 32
  • Overall odds of winning any prize – 1 in 7.8

To date, no Massachusetts citizen has won the game’s top prize.

Mega Millions and Powerball

The two biggest names in the US lottery system are Mega Millions and Powerball. These are two of the biggest multi-jurisdictional lottery games in the world. Though not all American states participate, think of Mega Millions and Powerball as national lottery games. Participation is high as of the time of this post, and it’s likely that one of these two will have full 50-state participation within the next decade.

Massachusetts participates in both Mega Millions and Powerball.

Mega Millions tickets cost $2. Players are tasked with picking five numbers, 1 to 70, along with a sixth number, numbered 1 to 25. The main numbers are the traditional white balls of lottery draw games, while the sixth number is a special gold-colored ball known as “Mega Ball.”

Mega Millions players can double their bet from $1 to $2 in exchange for a betting option known as “Megaplier.” The Megaplier is a randomly-drawn prize multiplier (multiplying your prize between 2 and 5 times) that applies to any prize won besides the game’s top jackpot. If chosen, this option increases the per-ticket price of Mega Millions to $3.

The Mega Millions starting jackpot is $20 million, meaning that’s the lowest it will ever go. The prize amount rolls over when it isn’t claimed, until a player or players claim it. Mega Millions’ payback percentage hovers around 20%, though it increases as the jackpot increases. That doesn’t mean you’re more likely to win with a higher jackpot, it’s just that huge top prize throws off the math a little. That’s how long the odds against winning a multi-state lottery jackpot are.

Powerball is basically a Mega Millions clone. Powerball takes 1 number out of the equation, asking players to pick five numbers between 1 and 69. Powerball’s version of the Mega Millions Mega Ball is a special Powerball, which is numbered from 1 to 26, instead of how Mega Millions Mega Ball is numbered 1 to 25.

Powerball also apes Mega Millions’ Megaplier feature – on Powerball, it’s called Power Play. This option adds one dollar to your bet, for a total of $3, and will randomly multiply any non-jackpot prize in the game. Powerball’s random multiplier increases your win between 2 and 10 times, rather than the 2 to 5x range for Mega Millions’ Megaplier.

Powerball’s jackpot is $20 million, the same as Mega Millions. It also has a payback percentage that hovers around 20% but shifts upward as the game’s progressive top prize increases.

Here are the pay table and odds for Mega Millions:

  • Match all five balls plus the Mega Ball – jackpot (min. $20 million), odds of 1 in 302.5 million
  • Match all five balls – $1 million, odds of 1 in 12.6 million
  • Match four balls plus the Mega Ball – $10,000, odds of 1 in 931,000
  • Match four balls – $500, odds of 1q in 38,792
  • Match three balls plus the Mega Ball – $200, odds of 1 in 14,547
  • Match three balls – $10, odds of 1 in 606
  • Match two balls and the Mega Ball – $10, odds of 1 in 693
  • Match one ball and the Mega ball – $4, odds of 1 in 89
  • Match the Mega Ball only – $2, odds of 1 in 24
  • Odds of winning any prize: 1 in 24

Here are the pay table and odds for Powerball:

  • Match all 5 balls plus the Powerball – jackpot (min. $20 million), odds of 1 in 292.2 million
  • Match all five balls – $1 million, odds of 1 in 11.68 million
  • Match four balls plus the Powerball – $50,000, odds of 1 in 913,000
  • Match four balls – $100, odds of 1 in 36,525.17
  • Match three balls plus the Powerball – $100, odds of 1 in 14,494.11
  • Match three balls – $7, odds of 1 in 579.76
  • Match two balls plus the Powerball – $7, odds of 1 in 701.33
  • Match one ball plus the Powerball – $4, odds of 1 in 91.98
  • Match the Powerball only – $4, odds of 1 in 38.32
  • Odds of winning any prize: 1 in 24.87

There’s no significant difference in the expectations for these games, at least, not one that’s meaningful for the average lottery player. Technically, Mega Millions has slightly better odds of winning any prize. Unless you’re playing at a massive scale, that slight difference in advantage won’t make any real-world difference in your strategy.

The best source of information on Mega Millions is their website. The same goes for Powerball – for answers to further questions about these games, go first to that game’s official site for the most reliable information.

Massachusetts Scratch-Off Tickets

THE LOTTERY refers to their scratch-off tickets as Instant Games. At the time of this post, their collection of 136 different tickets represents one of the biggest such libraries in the American lottery system.

Massachusetts Lottery instant games are available in six denominations: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, and $30.

Here’s a breakdown of the number of games for each denomination as of the time of this post, as well as the average overall odds of winning for each denomination:

  • $1 tickets – 23, odds of 1 in 4.76
  • $2 tickets – 36, odds of 1 in 4.53
  • $5 tickets – 35, odds of 1 in 4.17
  • $10 tickets – 26, odds of 1 in 4.12
  • $20 tickets – 10, odds of 1 in 3.32
  • $30 tickets – 6, odds of 1 in 2.78

Obviously, the variety of games drops as the cost of the ticket goes up – this is standard for American scratch-off lottery libraries. Also notice that the odds on the highest-cost tickets are low compared to the same odds in other state programs.

This might contribute to the popularity of the Commonwealth’s instant-win games and why they’re such a big driver of lottery revenues in Massachusetts. It’s fun to win, and the odds of winning on the state’s highest-cost tickets are among the best in the country.

Your odds and payouts on these games vary as much as the colors, styles, and playing types. Remember that your odds change as prizes are claimed. When a game is fresh, playing it is most likely to resemble the odds on the back of the ticket.

Massachusetts Lottery posts detailed information about prize amounts, odds, and total prizes. The site also hosts regularly updated information about prizes remaining. Use this information to inform ticket purchase decisions.

For example, during the creation of this post, four instant win games had all their grand prizes still available, and two others at the same price point had no grand prizes remaining. Players looking to get one of those big million-dollar payouts should probably avoid games where those prizes have already been claimed and are no longer in circulation.

Let’s look in more detail at a game with all its prizes currently available.

$4 Million Brilliant Titanium is a $10 ticket with overall odds of 1 in 3.48. That’s significantly better than the average overall odds for $10 Massachusetts Lottery games, which is a good indication of a game worth playing. The top prize, of which there are four, is $200k/year for 20 years, or a total of $4,000,000 paid out in a twenty-year annuity.

The odds of winning one of these four prizes at the start of the game are 1 in 5,040,000. We can deduce from that figure that THE LOTTERY printed 20,160,000 of these tickets, by the way, representing a potential sales pool of $201 million and change. Handing out $16 million in top prizes makes more sense in the context of the total revenue available to the program.

Buying a ticket when your odds are the most like 1 in 5,040,000 makes sense, but once three of those prizes have been claimed, your odds are more like 1 in 15 million.

Here’s the rest of the pay table for the $4 Million Brilliant Titanium instant win ticket from Massachusetts Lottery:

  • The second-tier prize is $1,000,000, and the odds of winning are 1 in 1.68 million.
  • A $10,000 prize gives you odds of 1 in 72,000.
  • A $1,000 prize gives you odds of 1 in 2,086.
  • A $500 prize gives you odds of 1 in 1,210.
  • A $200 prize gives you odds of 1 in 1,297.
  • A $150 prize gives you odds of 1 in 1,200.
  • A $100 prize gives you odds of 1 in 67.7.
  • A $50 and a $25 prize give you odds of 1 in 100.
  • A $20 prize gives you odds of 1 in 12.5.
  • A $15 prize gives you odds of 1 in 20.
  • A $10 prize gives you odds of 1 in 8.33

The prize distribution is typical – the Commonwealth printed 2.4 million $10 prize-winning tickets, but just 280 tickets rewarding a $10,000 prize.

The largest unclaimed prize currently available through Massachusetts Lottery is a $15 million jackpot paid out by a $30 ticket called Ultimate Millions. The $15 million is paid out at $750,000 a year in a 20-year annuity arrangement. There’s one such grand prize still unclaimed, out of four originally printed for the game. The odds of claiming it are around 1 in 30 million.

Massachusetts Charitable Gaming

The Commonwealth regulates so-called charitable games like bingo, casino nights, and raffles through the same organization as THE LOTTERY. These are generally programs run by non-profit organization to raise money or entertain their community. Massachusetts allows the sale of Charitable Pull Tab games as part of these efforts.

According to Massachusetts law, any non-profit group, club, or organization that meets the requirements of the law can become a charitable gaming agent and provide these sorts of games under certain restrictions. Among these restrictions is an important one – 70% of money collected through these charitable events must be returned to players in the form of prizes.

Some 93 different organizations are currently licensed to operate these games. It’s a niche part of the Massachusetts gaming scene, and while the prizes are small and the celebrations where they’re played generally by invitation only, it’s still a big part of gaming law in Massachusetts and deserves some mention.

Where to Buy Massachusetts Lottery Tickets and Claim Prizes

Use the Massachusetts Lottery’s Location Finder tool to find a lottery retailer. It’s a fast and functional Google Maps based tool that will locate every place where Mass Lottery tickets can be purchased. Their website claims “more than 7,500” retailers as of the time of this post.

Prizes can be collected at all lottery retailers, but there are restrictions.

Prizes of up to $600 can be claimed at any lottery retailer or by mail, though Mass Lottery warns that some retailers may refuse to cash tickets if their cash reserves are low.

For prizes of $601 to $100,000, options are a little more complicated.

The recommended way to claim prizes at this level is to visit a Massachusetts Lottery office.

Massachusetts Lottery currently operates six offices.

Here’s a link to each location:

For prizes worth between $601 and $5,000, winners can use the Mass Lottery mobile app. Prizes at this level can also be claimed in the mail – see the section below for details on claiming winnings Mass Lottery tickets through the mail.

Prizes of up to $100,000 can be paid out from any of the office locations above, but for prizes of $100,000 or more, players must visit the Dorchester Headquarters office.

Bettors claiming in person should also know that:

  • if you’re claiming a prize worth $601 or more, you’ll have to show proof of identification.
  • If you’re claiming a “lifetime prize,” you’ll need to show a certified copy of your birth certificate, unless you’re choosing a cash option.
  • if you’re claiming a prize by trust, THE LOTTERY suggests you contact the Legal Department at trustclaim@masslottery.com or by phone at (781) 849-5555.

Claim a Massachusetts Lottery Prize by Mail

Here are details on how to claim a prize by mail.

First, Mass Lottery recommends signing the back of any winning ticket.

To claim a prize by mail, players have to print and fill out this winner claim form for every winning ticket. Mass Lottery does not allow bettors to combine tickets on a single form.

The state also requires copies of a winner’s signed photo identification and signed proof of a Social Security Number.

Mass Lottery also recommends keeping copies of your claim form and the front and back of your winning ticket, then sending the package in the mail. Mass Lottery also suggests (but doesn’t require) your winning ticket be sent by certified or registered mail.

Prize checks are sent back through the mail.

The address for completed claim forms is:

Massachusetts State Lottery
P.O. Box 859036
Braintree, MA 02185-9036

Using the Mass Lottery App

The Massachusetts Lottery released the Mass Lottery app a few years ago. It’s available on the App Store and Google Play store.

Mass Lottery has one of the more functional apps in the business.

For starters, players can check winning numbers for draw games, either by setting up an alert for a drawing, or just tapping the app to check the latest winning numbers.

Players can also scan instant win tickets to see if they’re winners.

Players interested in the history of winning numbers for Mass Lottery’s various draw games will find this information embedded in the app as well.

Under the right circumstances, the app can help process and collect lottery prizes. After a player account is established, by uploading documents to a secure network and identity verification, bettors can process and collect winnings in just a few minutes using the app.

App payouts are restricted to prizes between $601 and $5,000. Winners can choose to receive money by mail or directly to a bank account.

In most cases, the app process payments within 24 hours.

The app includes a random number generator, useful for picking numbers. Tracking numbers is easy with this program, since customers can save sets of numbers and compare their performance over time.

Two games – Keno and ALL OR NOTHING are drawn live on the app, so people who like to watch live draws have something to check out. Mass Lottery plans to add more live draws to the app over time.

Other US states have lottery apps, particularly the top-10 states in terms of revenue. Compared to other US state lottery apps, Mass Lottery’s app is very functional, providing a lot of options in terms of buying tickets, claiming winnings, and seeing game data. There are even rumors that the Mass Lottery app will soon incorporate some form of legal sports betting.

Massachusetts Lottery History

The first Massachusetts Lottery ticket sale was in March of 1972 – since that time, the lottery has produced more than $131 billion in revenue, handing out about $100 billion in prizes, and returning some $28 billion in lottery spending to cities and townships to spend as they see fit. The Commonwealth’s thousands of lottery retailers have claimed more than $7.5 billion in commissions and bonuses for lottery ticket sales.

It all started with legislation designed to boost small-town revenues in Massachusetts during a struggling period in the state’s economic history. By 1974, Massachusetts citizens were comfortable enough with the draw games to accept and play instant win tickets eagerly. American lottery systems hadn’t yet adopted instant win sales, so the huge results seen in the Commonwealth drove interest in the burgeoning lottery programs of other states.

By the way, the top prize on the first Massachusetts Lottery instant win ticket? $10,000 – barely enough for a third-tier jackpot on today’s scratch-off tickets.

The Commonwealth has always been at the leading edge of American lottery trends. They were among the first states to offer a Keno style game, to join multi-state lottery programs, and to produce a poker-style lottery draw game to cash in on the poker boom of the late 90s. In 2019, Massachusetts Lottery became the first to report more than a billion dollars in revenue in a single year.

What’s next for THE LOTTERY? The last few years have seen the entire lottery industry contracting, offering fewer games, printing tickets in fewer denominations, but also looking to innovate and cash in on new trends. Massachusetts Legislature is looking at ways to expand their lottery offerings, but nothing concrete is rumored or in the pipeline.

Contact the Massachusetts Lottery

Here are the most common ways used to contact the Massachusetts Lottery:

Phone: (781) 849-5555
Email: webmaster@masslottery.com
Mailing Address: Massachusetts State Lottery, 150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125-3573

For all questions or concerns about charitable gaming and bingo in Massachusetts, contact the Charitable Gaming Division at (781)849-5555.

Conclusion

The Massachusetts Lottery was an industry leader from day one and continues to be among the most profitable lottery systems in America. This otherwise small US state produces a ton of revenue with a robust instant win category and participation in several popular multi-state games and systems.

Throw in the fact that THE LOTTERY is cheap and efficiently run, and that tens of millions of dollars goes back into local communities every year, and it’s clear that the Massachusetts Lottery is a success story and will continue to be a leader in the US lottery industry.