House cleaner discovers forgotten lottery ticket in vase — then homeowner wins big

A Massachusetts man is grateful for second chances after a forgotten lottery ticket was found by his house cleaner, lottery officials said.

Khalil Soussa, of Medford, bought a ticket for the Massachusetts State Lottery “15,000,000 Money Maker” game months ago, according to an Oct. 12 news release.

The ticket was all but forgotten when his house cleaner found it in a vase and gave it back to the homeowner.

When he checked the ticket, he saw that it had won big.

Soussa’s ticket won one of the game’s eight $1 million prizes.

He told lottery officials he plans to use the money to help a friend, then will donate some to charity, according to the release.

Soussa opted for a one-time payment of $650,000 before taxes, officials said.

Medford is a suburb of Boston on the city’s northside.

This story was originally published October 27, 2023 at 2:36 PM with the headline "House cleaner discovers forgotten lottery ticket in vase — then homeowner wins big."

Irene Wright

McClatchy DC

Irene Wright is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter. She earned a B.A. in ecology and an M.A. in health and medical journalism from the University of Georgia and is now based in Atlanta. Irene previously worked as a business reporter at The Dallas Morning News.