Massachusetts woman wins $1 million from State Lottery thanks to family holiday tradition

A family holiday tradition turned lucrative for a Massachusetts woman after hitting big money on a scratch ticket.

According to the Massachusetts State Lottery, Despina Nirgianakis is the winner of a $1 million prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$10,000,000 Bonus Wins” instant ticket game.

Nirgianakis, who is from Peabody, said that she and her family purchase tickets for holidays and that she bought this one in celebration of Greek Easter. She chose to receive her prize in the form of a one-time payment of $650,000 (before taxes).

She purchased her winning ticket at Convenience Plus, 7 Main Street in North Reading. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for its sale of this ticket.