Massachusetts mom wins $25M lottery prize, plans to pay off her daughters’ student loans

A Massachusetts woman took home a major lottery prize of $25 million and already knows how she will be spending her winnings.

Desiree Fortini-Craft, a resident of Hyde Park, is now the third individual to take home the top prize after playing the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” $50 instant game, according to a news announcement made by the Massachusetts State Lottery.

Fortini-Craft purchased her ticket from Baker Street Market, 419 Baker St. in West Roxbury, the press release said.

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Fortini-Craft told lottery officials that she scratched off the winning ticket several weeks ago before storing it in a safe place.

After returning home from a trip to Aruba, Fortini-Craft headed to the lottery headquarters with her fiance, Jason Perkins, to claim her prize.

She opted to receive the winnings as a one-time payment of $16,250,000 before taxes, the Massachusetts State Lottery shared in its news release.

Fortini-Craft has reportedly made a list of how she plans to spend her winnings, which includes another trip to Aruba this Christmas.

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Fortini-Craft will be divvying some of the money among her three daughters so they can pay off their student loans, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery. Fortini-Craft also wants to buy a new car, the press release said.

This is not the first time the Massachusetts mother has won big in the lottery. In 2006, she won a $1 million prize, according to the release.

The store where Forini-Craft purchased her winning ticket will receive a $50,000 bonus for the sale.

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The Massachusetts State Lottery has played an active role in all 351 cities and towns throughout the state of Massachusetts by contributing to programs, funds and other local aid.

In the 2023 fiscal year, “$1.193 billion in Lottery net profit was returned to the Commonwealth for unrestricted local aid to the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts,” according to the Massachusetts State Lottery website.

The lottery set a new record of $350 million in commissions and bonuses being sent out to lottery retailers.

The Massachusetts State Lottery is the only “self-operated lottery in the nation,” the website stated.

The organization has the lowest administrative costs across the country totaling $120.5 million, which is only two percent of all revenues, the site continued.

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