Maine Man Wins $500,000 From Scratch Ticket

Most frequent lottery players spend much of their time focused on the ticket games.  It makes sense.  The payouts from Powerball, Mega Million, and Tri-State Megabucks are in the tens of millions of dollars.  Sometimes, these jackpots reach a billion dollars.

I am guilty of this, too.  Most of my lottery money goes to Powerball and Megabucks because in my mind, these games pay out "life-changing" money.

Sometimes, we need to be reminded that many of the scratch-off tickets from the Maine State Lottery have payouts in the hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars range.

According to a press release from Northeast Media Associates, Michael Coffey of Bowdoin recently won $500,000 from an instant ticket.

The ticket was purchased from Charleen's in Richmond, Maine.

Coffey was not the only big Maine State Lottery winner in January.  According to the Maine Lottery Facebook page, a Farmingdale woman named Julie won $250,000.  Also, someone from Naples, Maine, won $250,000.

Check out the list of other big lottery winners on the Maine State Lottery Facebook page.

If you are going to play the lottery, please do it responsibly.  If you or a loved one has issues with gambling, you can call 1-800-662-4357.

In 1973, Representative Arthur Genest of Waterville championed the idea of creating a state lottery in Maine.

In late 1973, the public was allowed to vote on the concept of a state lottery.  While not a landslide, a significant amount of the state voted 'yes' on the question.  In the end, the vote was 63% in favor of the creation of the lottery.

The first drawing was held in 1974.

The lottery website says, in part:

Governor Kenneth M. Curtis drew the first lottery numbers on June 27, 1974. The numbers were printed on large rubber balls and drawn from a gumball machine. Ivan Lazure of Lewiston was the first winner, with a $20 prize.

The proceeds from the lottery go to support the state's general fund, which supports important programs throughout Maine.

Learn more about the lottery from the organization's website.