One lucky scratch turns longtime wish into reality

By Kate Northrop

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A Massachusetts custodian will be able to fulfill a childhood dream and improve his quality of life thanks to a lucky $1 million win in the lottery.

One Massachusetts man is living the reality lottery players dream of: more financial comfort, the means to afford a higher quality of life, and a splurge on something meaningful and personal.

John Balsam of Springfield can fulfill that dream now that he's claimed a $1 million prize from the Massachusetts Lottery.

While he was at the Irving gas station on Tapley Street in Springfield one day, the custodian decided to try his luck. He purchased a $5 "$1,000,000 Stacks of Cash" scratch-off game.

After arriving home from work, he pulled out the instant game and scratched the ticket to discover he had way more luck in his back pocket than he thought. The ticket had won the game's third and final top prize of $1 million.

"I was scratching the ticket, then boom, my life changed!" Balsam described his win to Lottery officials at their headquarters in Dorchester.

Balsam chose to receive his prize as a one-time cash option of $650,000 before taxes. With his winnings, he plans on buying a house and putting some money into savings, but most notable is his wish to finally purchase a red pickup truck he's dreamed about since he was a teenager.

For selling the winning ticket, the retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery.

Balsam beat the odds of 1 in 4,032,000 to win the third and last remaining top prize of $1 million in the $5 "$1,000,000 Stacks of Cash" scratch-off game, which launched in April 2024. There are still 18 out of 168 second-tier prizes of $10,000 left, as well as 146 out of 1,596 third-tier prizes of $1,000.

The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 4.17.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)John Balsam of Springfield, Massachusetts, pictured with his ceremonial $1 million check.