Many of us have experienced the thrill of discovering long-forgotten items, including the occasional surprise of finding money tucked away in our own homes during a cleaning spree. However, for one Massachusetts resident, a routine house cleaning session turned into a life-altering event when he stumbled upon a $1 million lottery ticket right in his own house.
According to CBS News, a few months ago, Khalil Soussa bought a $15 million Money Maker scratch ticket. He told the Massachusetts Lottery that his house cleaner recently found the ticket in a vase in his Medford home and gave it to him.
It was a $1 million winner. Opting for the lump-sum cash payment, Mr Soussa received $650,000 before taxes. He shared with the lottery officials that he intends to use a portion of his winnings to assist a friend in need and also has plans to make charitable donations.
The winning ticket was purchased at Tony's Convenience, located on Salem Street in Medford. The store's owners will receive a $10,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.
Winning a huge amount in lottery prizes is common news in the United States. A few days ago, a lottery player in California won the $1.73 billion (a little over ₹ 7,500 crore) Powerball jackpot, ending the long stretch.
According to CNN, this is the second-largest jackpot in Powerball and US lottery history. The winning numbers are 22, 24, 40, 52, 64, and the Powerball 10. The winner has the option to either go for an annuity payment of $643.7 million over 30 years or choose lump sum prize money, estimated at $756.6 million, both before taxes, the outlet further said.
Gambling winnings in the US are subject to mandatory federal withholding taxes. In some of the US states, there are state taxes too, ranging from 2.5 percent in Arizona to 10.9 percent in New York.
The grand prize had been steadily increasing after weeks of drawings with no jackpot winner.
