A Massachusetts man is richer today thanks to a broken guitar, a free repair and a Massachusetts Lottery ticket.
Eric Cochrane of Methuen won a $1 million prize after he bought a $10,000,000 Winter Riches instant ticket at Howe Street Superette, 163 Howe St., in Methuen.
Cochrane claimed his prize in mid-April, but he plans on splitting it with his friend, the state lottery said.
From broken guitar to $1M prize
Cochrane brought his son’s broken guitar to his friend, John Galvin, who owns a guitar store. Galvin did not charge for the repair because Cochrane’s son had a health problem earlier in the week, the MA lottery said.
When Galvin refused to accept $40 from Cochrane, he used the money to buy two scratch-off tickets.
“If I win $1 million, we are splitting it,” Cochrane said.
An hour later, the two were at lottery headquarters to claim the prize. Cochrane chose the cash option and received a one-time, pre-tax payment of $650,000. Howe Street Superette will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Other $1M Massachusetts Lottery scratch-off winners
MA lottery’s website listed three other winning instant ticket of more than $1 million for April:
- $2.6 million prize in 4M Brilliant Titanium sold at Cumberland Farms, 33 Main St., in Bridgewater;
- $2.6 million prize in Diamonds 50X sold at Lukoil, 397 Middlesex Road, in Tyngsboro;
- $1 million prize in Diamond Millions sold at Hough’s Neck Package Store, 1183 Sea St., in Quincy.
The lottery at 50 years
The Massachusetts Lottery, which turns 50 years old this year, has paid players more than $96 billion in prizes since 1972 and has created more than $137 billion in revenue. More than $30 billion in aid has been provided to Massachusetts cities and towns. Retailers have earned more than $7.8 billion in commissions and bonuses.
The lottery offers eight draw games for players, including national games Powerball and Mega Millions. More than 150 different instant ticket games are available for purchase in the Bay State.
The first lottery drawing in Massachusetts happened April 6, 1972, when seven players each won a $50,000 top prize by matching all six numbers that were drawn in “The Game.” Later that day, Donald Cosentino of Gardner became the first player to present a winning ticket.
“We have five children and I bought them all bicycles,” said Cosentino, now age 87. “I was a foreman at a furniture factory. We also bought a camper so that we could all go camping together. We were able to put the money to good use.”
