Rockland: Local woman purchases winning $1 million dollar Powerball ticket at local store

State Lottery officials say four winning $1,000,000 dollar  Powerball tickets were sold in Massachusetts – one of those here on the South Shore.

Photo of Mary Gilmore courtesy of Massachusetts State Lottery

A state lottery spokeswoman says 49-year-old Mary Gilmore of Rockland collected her prize at the Massachusetts Lottery Headquarters on Thursday morning before she headed back to work.

Gilmore tells lottery officials, she purchased her winning quick pick Powerball ticket which matched the first five numbers drawn; and another ticket for her new boss at the Tedeschi’s Food Shops store on Union Street in Rockland.

Gilmore could not be reached for comment.

The lottery says Gilmore will receive $700,000 after taxes and the store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $10,000 commission on the sale.

Officials say 16 tickets sold in Massachusetts matched four numbers and the Powerball for a $10,000 prize, and over 297,000 tickets earned the holders between $4 and $100 dollars.

“This $587.5 million jackpot had been growing for 16 consecutive drawings since Powerball had its most recent winner on October 3,” according to a statement relased by the Masschusetts State Lottery on Thursday morning. “Game tickets were selling at a frenzied pace across the country, causing the jackpot amount to grow by $162.5 million in the days leading to the drawing.  Massachusetts Lottery retailers were ringing in approximately $23,000 in ticket sales a minute last night during peak hours.”

State officials say the historic size of the jackpot and this Powerball run bodes well for local aid.

“Sales from this jackpot run generated approximately $16.1 million in net profit for the Commonwealth, all of which is returned to the state’s General Fund in unrestricted local aid for cities and towns,” according to the press release. ” The Lottery’s statewide network of retailers also benefited from the record-high jackpot, earning more than $2 million in commissions just from the sale of Powerball tickets.”

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