DENNIS, MASS. (WHDH) - A Cape Cod man on Wednesday stepped forward and claimed a $500,000 Powerball prize one day before the winning ticket was due to expire.
Leonard Thomas, accompanied by his dog, Mariah, claimed his prize at Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters in Dorchester. He says he plans on using his winnings to buy a small house or year-round cottage.
The ticket was sold at a Mobil gas station on Route 134 in South Dennis on Aug. 19, 2020, lottery officials said.
“I heard about a Powerball ticket expiring on the radio and then my nephew told me. I play at that store and have a plastic sleeve that I keep my tickets in,” Thomas said. “When I heard about the expiring ticket, I looked through the tickets in the sleeve and found a Powerball ticket from August 19, 2020. I had it scanned at a convenience store and the clerk indicated that I had to go to the Lottery to claim the prize.”
Thomas’ Quic Pic ticket matched four of the first five numbers, plus the Powerball.
Powerball and other draw game prize winners have one year from the date of the drawing to claim prizes. Prize money that isn’t claimed is returned to the state for distribution to all 351 cities and towns.
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