Lottery ticket sat in man’s drawer for almost a year — then wife heard of unclaimed win

John Butler bought a few lottery tickets ahead of the March 17, 2022, Mass Cash drawing. The West Roxbury resident stuck the tickets in a drawer before heading to Florida for a vacation.

And that’s where the tickets stayed for almost a year — until Butler’s wife heard about an unclaimed prize on the news recently, according to a March 7 news release from the Massachusetts Lottery.

After hearing about the prize from his wife, Butler searched his home for the forgotten ticket, he told officials.

That’s when he made an exciting discovery: One of his tickets was the unclaimed winner.

Butler claimed his $100,000 Mass Cash prize 11 days before it was set to expire, according to officials. The winning numbers — which Butler chose based on birthdates — were 03-10-11-18-22.

Now, Butler plans to put his prize toward home improvements, he told officials.

The winning ticket came from Star Market in Dedham, which earned a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, officials said.

“We are thrilled that Mr. Butler’s wife saw the Lottery announcement in the news about the unclaimed ticket! What a great reminder to keep your tickets in a safe place and always make sure to check them,” State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, chair of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, said in the news release. “You will never know when you might be as lucky as the Butlers.”

Dedham is about 13 miles southwest of Boston.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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