Some people ignore the lottery system because immense odds may be stacked against them. However, this does not stop lucky participants from striking gold against incredible odds against them. The grand prize of one million dollars in the Emerald Mine 50x lottery gives Massachusetts lottery participants a staggering 1 in 5,040,000 odds. To put this into a broader perspective, it has been estimated that the typical person has a 1 in 15,000 chance to be struck by lightning in their life. The odds of winning such a prize, against all odds, are truly unfathomable. There are in total 3 winners, and one lucky man recently won this prize in a usual fashion.
Jason Marsh, currently living in Gloucester, a boating town in the North Shore, won this plentiful prize first. The way Marsh received this lucky ticket might leave readers jealous because it was purchased locally. In fact, Marsh was driving up from southern Massachusetts, back to his home in Gloucester, before purchasing this lucky lottery ticket in a Stop & Shop located on Lincoln Street in Hingham. This first lottery ticket was just pending to be purchased as this specific lottery game was set up just after the new year, on January 7th. More than a month later, late in February, Marsh was lucky enough to purchase a ticket for over an hour drive on route 128, away from his home in Gloucester. Marsh took the option to have a single broad payment of 650,000 dollars, with 50,000 dollars annuity for 20 years. Such a rapid increase in money can be life-changing for winners. According to Marsh, he plans to use this money to make multiple car repairs and to spend it on his future.
This winning, considering it was purchased so locally, has left many wondering whether they should have taken this chance. When discussing this event, senior Brook Strachan (18 years, and legally allowed to purchase lottery tickets) said, “The fact that this ticket was purchased in Hingham, makes me wish that I could have won the prize. I have only been eligible to buy lottery tickets for less than a year, and I really have not participated in it at all.” Senior Mason Lennon, added on to Strachan, saying, “I just turned 18, so it really would have been amazing if I took the chance. I still have never purchased a lottery ticket in my life.”
Although the odds are still stacked against the next two potential winners of this prize, many in this area might feel another lucky opportunity might strike once again, in the town of Hingham, while many others may feel as if lighting does not strike twice, and the fact that one ticket was already purchased in Hingham might drops their odds.
