What is Mass Cash Lottery and how to play this in Massachusetts?

Mass Cash is the most popular lottery played in Massachusetts. There have been many winning stories of men and women winning this lottery game. Last year in 2018 a man won a total of nine $100,000 grand prizes on tickets he purchased for Monday night’s Mass Cash drawing. Robert Lundstedt of Brockton had a strange feeling about the drawing, so he bought four tickets at Trucchi’s Supermarket in West Bridgewater, two tickets at Quick Stop in West Bridgewater, two more at The Corner Market in West Bridgewater, and one ticket at Cumberland Farms in Bridgewater. On Tuesday morning, he picked up a newspaper to check the numbers and discovered the ones he chose matched. The winning numbers were: 1, 7, 11, 26 and 30.

In 2011, Mass Cash expanded to daily drawings. Five numbers 1 through 35 are drawn. Top prize is $100,000 (with a $1 million liability limit). The game is similar to neighboring Connecticut’s Cash 5 basic game (without the Kicker). Four numbers wins $250, three numbers, $10.

What is Mass Cash Lottery?

Massachusetts Mass Cash 5/35 is one of the longest running pick-5 games that kept the same number field. The game started on March 28, 1991, and with over 2,200 drawings to handicap, it is well worth devoting most of your lottery budget to this game. To play Mass Cash, you choose five numbers from 1 to 35. Each play costs $1.

Drawings have been upped from 3 days a week to the current daily drawings. The jackpot is $100,000. Though the Mass Cash jackpot will not make you mega rich, but when you win it, you will be very, very happy. There are a couple of other ways to win a Mass Cash prize – match 3 numbers for a $10 prize or match 4 numbers for $250.

The odds of winning the Mass Cash jackpot are one in 324,632. That makes Mass Cash the best game to play in Massachusetts. Compare that to the jackpot odds of one in 30,821,472 of winning Lucky for Life, the odds of one in 5,245,786 of winning Massachusetts Megabucks 6/42; one in 292 million of winning the Powerball lottery; or one in 302,575,350 of winning the Mega Millions game!

How to play Mass Cash Lottery?

• Fill out a MASS CASH bet slip by choosing 5 numbers from 1-35 or ask for a Quic Pic.
• Give the completed bet slip to an on-line Lottery Sales Agent.
• The Sales Agent will give you a separate ticket as your receipt. Note that you need to check your ticket and be sure that it represents the numbers and drawing that you wanted to play as it is only your proof of playing these numbers.

The Lottery suggests, for your own protection, that you sign the back of your ticket to identify ownership.

• Authorized retailers of Massachusetts lottery tickets can be found all over the state. To find ones near you, check out the Massachusetts Lottery website. You’ll find a handy “Where to Play” section that helps you find retailers based on your city, town, or ZIP code.
• You can also find comprehensive lists of lottery agents arranged by town or city.
• You cannot buy Lottery tickets online. Massachusetts abides by federal laws forbidding the online sale and purchase of lottery tickets. Massachusetts authorized retailers take cash payments for lottery tickets. Depending on the retailer, credit or debit cards might also be accepted.

The rules of the game

• By placing a Mass Cash bet, bettors agree to abide by Massachusetts State Lottery Commission Rules and Regulations. Applicable rules are available for inspection by bettors by contacting the Lottery Commission at 150 Mount Vernon Street., Dorchester, MA 02125-3573.
• Bets are not effective until accepted by the Lottery’s on-line computer processing system prior to the drawing of the winning number and in accordance with Lottery rules.
• Bettors acknowledge that on-line Lottery sales agents are acting on behalf of the bettors in entering bets into the Lottery’s on-line computer processing system. The liability of the Lottery and the Lottery’s on-line Sales Agent, whether arising through breach of contract, negligence, or otherwise, is limited to a refund of the amount wagered if the bet(s) is (are) not accepted by the Lottery’s on-line Computer Processing System, or if bet slips are marked incorrectly, entered incorrectly into the system, or are otherwise invalid.
• The placing of Mass Cash bets is done at the player’s own risk through the on-line Lottery Sales Agent who is acting on behalf of the player in entering the bet(s) into the Lottery’s on-line Computer Processing System.
• Approximately 56% of the amount of money wagered on each drawing goes into the prize pool.
• If the total prizes won for any drawing exceeds the net sales for that drawing, the prize amounts will be based upon a formula detailed in the Rules and Regulations or Administrative Bulletins issued thereunder.
• All Prizes are based on a $1.00 wager.
• All cash prizes must be claimed within one (1) year following the draw date.

Note that as of October 26, 2014, Mass Cash will be drawn every day at approximately 10:00 p.m. Megabucks Doubler is drawn every Wednesday and Saturday at approximately 11:20 p.m. A Lotto machine is used to draw the numbers in both games. There is a spare Lotto machine at Lottery backup location to be used in the event the Drawing Supervisor or Technician deems the first machine inoperable.

There are three sets of Lotto balls regularly used for Mass Cash and Megabucks Doubler. Each night, the Lottery computer makes a random selection of one set of balls to use for the drawing. In addition to the ball set selection, the computer will also select a random loading position. The balls are weighed, verified, and cross-referenced each night. The balls are positioned sequentially with the #1 ball loaded in either the upper right, lower right, lower left, or upper left position.

Three test drawings are done prior to drawing. All tests must be completed before the drawing. The results of the Lotto drawings can be viewed on the Massachusetts Lottery website.

How to claim the prize?

• Prizes up to and including $600 may be claimed at any Lottery agent location or Lottery Office. You do not need proof of identification for prizes less than $600.
• To claim a prize from $601 to $49,999, you must visit a Lottery office location.
• You must claim any prize of $50,000 or more at Lottery Headquarters in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

You need to have a signed photo identification like your Driver’s license, Mass ID, Passport, Work ID or Military ID or Proof of your Social Security Number when filling the prize claim form.