By Todd Northrop
The Massachusetts Lottery terminal that sold the largest winning lottery ticket ever claimed by a single winner is now on display.
Lottery officials are housing the now-famous terminal at the agency's Braintree headquarters.
In August, a $758.7 million Powerball jackpot — the second-largest lottery jackpot in world history — was won by a single lottery ticket sold in the state of Massachusetts.
The next morning, Mavis Wanczyk, who purchased the ticket at Pride Station in Chicopee, went straight to lottery headquarters and claimed the prize. After her win, Lottery officials took the machine used to sell the winning ticket out of service.
On Monday, the Massachusetts Lottery posted to Twitter a photo of the blue-and-black terminal, which the Lottery is calling "Lucky."
In an unfortunate choice, the agency chose to decorate the lottery terminal with googly eyes, a black mustache, red lips and a white tie. "Goofy" might be a more appropriate name for the anthropomorphized machine.
A Lottery official said the Braintree offices are just a temporary home for "Lucky," and the terminal is expected to go on tour of regional agency offices across the state.
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When the powerball was with three winning tickets in that 1.6 billion this never happened. Now this happens. I find it really weird. The whole story with that woman is weird.
Really?
My eyes have rolled so far up inside my head, they're spinning like a slot machine.
Oh, wait, it's MA.
That explains it.
A Missed Opportunity: Massachusetts Lottery Players would like Lucky to Print Them a Winning Jackpot Ticket too!
If I were the store owner, I would be extremely upset that the lottery removed the machine. Lottery players would love to purchase tickets sold by that machine, and I'm sure the store would see a nice boost in sales (both of lottery tickets and store merchandise).
..and if l am not mistaken, the Khomeini's sarcophagus is also on display.
It's no just Lucky, it's Wicked Lucky in Mass. lingo!
I wonder if MIT has Einstein's chalk in a glass case?
On a serious note, l would agree w/ the CBW. We had a " Lucky store out in San Leandro" that l * think sold at least 3-4 winning jackpot tickets within the last 15 years.It stand vacant now, due to a housing development taking over the area. But while it still stood, if you walked into the place, all 4 lottery terminals were covered in gold strips, probably to signify the luck that permeated the place. Players came from far & wide to wager at those terminals. True story.
I wonder if we can't kidnap lucky and hold it for ransom? I'm sure someone on craigslist will buy it. LOL
The question should be, Why did the Mass. lottery officials take the machine out of service?
I don't mind seeing a rock band on a concert tour, but a Lucky Lottery Machine concert tour?
Nah, I'll pass.
All Massachusetts lottery machines are being replaced by nice IGT models; they've been cannibalizing machines for years to keep these dinosaurs alive. If not mistaken oldest machines in the country. Old dot matrix ones, so bad in print I can hardly read the #'s on my Season Tickets.
If I was the PB winner, Mavis Wanczyk, I would buy that machine.