First ever $1 million Keno ticket sold in Massachusetts

The first ever $1 million Keno ticket, the largest prize in the history of the game, is ready to be claimed by a lucky winner after being purchased on Wednesday in Pittsfield.

Keno, introduced to the Massachusetts State Lottery in 1993, is a game where players select one to 12 spots and guess any number between one and 80 for each spot. While players can select any number of spots, each spot must contain a number that matches with a random selection of 20 winning numbers.

The winning ticket sold at Zenner’s Pub & Deli in Pittsfield March 22 overcame 1 in 478,261,833 odds, according to the State Lottery. The winner selected a 12-spot ticket, guessing numbers 1 through 12, and the winning numbers included every number from 1 to 13.

In addition to the first ever million dollar ticket, a winner who guessed numbers 1 through 11 is set to claim a $500,000 from an 11-spot ticket, and four winners who guessed numbers 1 through 10 can collect $100,000 from their 10-spot tickets.

“Congratulations to all of the winners and the retailers who sold these tickets,” said Mark William Bracken, interim executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery in a press release. “While a rare occurrence, it shows that the chances of consecutive numbers being selected are the same as the chances of any other set of numbers.”

Zenner’s Pub & Deli will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the $1 million ticket. The venues that sold the $500,000 ticket and the $100,000 tickets will also receive bonuses of $5,000 and $1,000 respectively.

For prizes under $103,000, winners can visit any Massachusetts lottery center, and for prizes over $103,000, winners can claim their reward at the State Lottery headquarters in Dorchester.