Junk drawer jackpot: Son's tip leads to $100,000 discovery just in time

A Massachusetts woman turned her cluttered junk drawer into a treasure trove when she discovered a forgotten lottery ticket worth $100,000 just before it expired. 

The lucky find

Margot Garstka purchased a $1 Mass Cash ticket during a state lottery promotion at a Chicopee supermarket in April 2024. The promotion, called "Fishin' for Quic Pics," awarded her a free ticket that would soon change her life. After bringing it home, she casually tossed it into a junk drawer and forgot about it.

Unknown to her, that ticket matched all five winning numbers (6-11-18-24-26) in the May 1, 2024, drawing. The $100,000 prize remained unclaimed for nearly a year while lottery officials waited for someone to step forward.

Last-minute rescue

As the expiration date loomed, the Massachusetts Lottery began publicizing the unclaimed prize through local news outlets. They emphasized that the winning ticket had been purchased at the Big Y supermarket on Memorial Drive in Chicopee and would expire on May 1, 2025 – exactly one year after the drawing.

Two weeks before the deadline, Garstka's son caught a news story about the unclaimed ticket. Something clicked in his memory.

Garstka explained:

My son saw it on the news and said, 'Ma, you got a ticket in that drawer,' and we looked at the numbers, and they were right.

When they checked the forgotten ticket against the winning numbers, the family was stunned to discover they had been sitting on a small fortune for months.

Beating the clock

With time running short, Garstka wasted no opportunity to claim her prize. She visited the lottery's West Springfield claim center on Tuesday, April 15, successfully securing her winnings before they would have been lost forever.

The actual amount Garstka received was less than the full $100,000 after mandatory tax withholdings, but still represented a substantial windfall. Had she missed the May 1 deadline, the money would have entered the lottery's profit pool for distribution among all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns – a system that ensures unclaimed prizes still benefit local communities.

Plans for the windfall

According to lottery officials, Garstka plans to adopt a sensible approach to her unexpected fortune. She intends to save most of her winnings for the future while sharing a portion with her great-grandchildren.

The Big Y supermarket where Garstka purchased her ticket wasn't left out of the celebration either. The retailer received a $1,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The importance of checking tickets

Garstka's story is a reminder to lottery players everywhere to check their tickets promptly and store them somewhere memorable. The Massachusetts lottery noted that this wasn't the first time a significant prize nearly went unclaimed, and they regularly work with news organizations to locate winners before deadlines pass.

The Mass Cash game that Garstka won offers relatively good odds compared to many lottery games. Players select five numbers between 1-35 for $1 per play, choosing either their own lucky numbers or opting for a computer-generated Quic Pic selection.

Drawings take place seven nights a week, and winners have a full year to claim their prizes. Tickets matching all five winning numbers, as Garstka's did, win the $100,000 grand prize – but only if claimed in time.