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Mass. Lottery to introduce first-ever $50 instant ticket

More than $1 billion in total winnings are on the table, including the largest instant win prize in Mass Lottery history: $25 million.

The Massachusetts State Lottery office. Lane Turner/Boston Globe

December 27, 2022

Fans of the lottery in Massachusetts will soon have a new, more expensive ticket option to purchase.

The Massachusetts State Lottery announced Tuesday that it would be introducing its first $50 instant scratch ticket. The ticket, named Billion Dollar Extravaganza, will offer more than $1 billion in total winnings, including the largest instant win prize in Mass Lottery history: $25 million.

The ticket is scheduled to go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 7. There will be three $25 million prizes up for grabs, along with five $2 million prizes and 15 $1 million prizes. The odds of winning a prize with this ticket are 1 in 4.10, according to lottery officials.

The move comes after sustained customer requests for a ticket at this price point.

“As the Lottery’s 50th anniversary celebration approaches the end, what better time to introduce the $50 ticket to begin our next 50 years!” State Treasurer and Chair of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission Deborah B. Goldberg said in a statement. “Our customers had been requesting this ticket for some time. After careful consideration, the Lottery has what we believe will provide them with the entirely new level of excitement they have been seeking.”

A total of 30.2 million of these tickets will be printed, and sales from the game are expected to exceed $1.5 billion, officials said. The Billion Dollar Extravaganza game has the potential to generate more than $150 million in net profit. All 352 Massachusetts cities and towns receive lottery profits in the form of unrestricted local aid.

Right now, the highest-priced instant ticket available in the state is $30, a price point first introduced in 2014. More than a dozen other U.S. lotteries offer a $50 ticket, officials said.

“Billion Dollar Extravaganza is the result of extensive research and testing over the course of several years,” Interim Executive Director of the Mass Lottery Mark William Bracken said in a statement.

All winning tickets from this game will total $100 or more, and players have their best chance to win $500 and $1,000 prizes in Mass Lottery history.

Billion Dollar Extravaganza is a “match style game,” where each ticket contains 10 “winning numbers” and 35 numbers assigned to the player. Customers win if one or more of the “winning numbers” match a number assigned to them. Multiplier symbols and bonus spots are also scattered throughout.

Even if customers do not get a winning ticket, they will still have a chance to win a second chance drawing. Players can enter non-winning tickets for opportunities to win prizes ranging from $100 to $50,000. There will be 10 second-chance drawings, each offering 15 $50,000 prizes, 10 $1,000 prizes, 75 $500 prizes, and 300 $100 prizes.