North Shore man wins $2M on $50 scratch ticket after friend urges him to ‘go big or go home’

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — A North Shore man recently won $2 million on a $50 scratch ticket after a friend he was with urged him “to go big or go home.”

Michael Silva, of Gloucester, is the first $2 million prize winner in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” instant ticket game, Lottery officials said.

Silva said that after winning $50 on a $10 ticket, he asked a friend what he should do with his winnings, according to the Lottery. The friend told Silva, “Go big or go home,” so he decided to try his luck on a $50 ticket, which turned out to be a big winner.

Silva chose the cash option for his prize and received a one-time payment of $1,300,000 (before taxes).

The Lottery said that Silva purchased his winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 50 Bass Avenue in Gloucester. The store receives a $20,000 bonus for the sale of this ticket.

“Billion Dollar Extravaganza” offers over $1 billion in total winnings and features three tiers of grand prizes: $25 million, $2 million, and $1 million. To date, one $25 million prize and eight $1 million prizes have been claimed.

With an overall prize payout of 82.0 percent, “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” has the highest payout percentage of any game ever offered by the Mass Lottery. The odds of winning a prize in the game are 1 in 4.10.

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