Peggy McKenna Wins Biggest Instant Scratch Lottery Game In U.S. History

Instant scratch lottery games have relatively better odds of winning than the online games like Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto 6/49. Better odds of winning also usually mean lower payouts and lower jackpots. But Massachusetts State Lottery tried something different in September of 2007. They created a game called Billion Dollar Bluckbuster that featured a grand prize of $10 million. That is the biggest single prize for an instant scratch lotto ticket in U.S. history, and probably the world.

Well, the prize has been won and it goes to Peggy McKenna of Holyoke, Massachusetts. She won the Billion Dollar Blockbuster jackpot in April of 2009 and is, now, $10 million richer. It's funny because $10 million is a lot of money and it set a new record for prize payouts in instant scratch lottery games, yet it doesn't get even a fraction of the news coverage that big Powerball winners, like Neal Wanless, get.

Actually, Billion Dollar Blockbuster has helped Massachusetts State Lottery set new sales records for 2008. It took less than six months after the game was introduced to have sales of the game pass the $500 million mark, and the big payouts in the game were a big reason for that (Aside from the $10 million prize, there were also multiple prizes of $1 million). The game helped boost overall lottery sales by 6.1% over the previous year for fiscal year 2008, setting a new record for Mass. Lottery.

Peggy McKenna bought the winning ticket at R & R Variety on Sargeant Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The store received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.