Human Interest Mass. Woman Wins $1 Million Lottery Prize After Buying Ticket While Getting Her Morning Coffee The woman, Maria Acevedo Valdez, plans to use her winnings to help her family, per the Massachusetts State Lottery By Bailey Richards Bailey Richards Bailey Richards is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and interned with the brand in 2022. Her work has previously appeared in digital publications like Paper Magazine and TV Insider. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 19, 2023 06:39PM EST Close Maria Acevedo Valdez with her lottery winnings. Photo: Courtesy of Massachusetts State Lottery A Massachusetts woman reaped an unexpected benefit from her morning coffee: $1 million. Maria Acevedo Valdez was just stopping at an Andover gas station for a cup of joe to start her day when — fatefully — she decided to throw in a lottery ticket while checking out, per a press release from the Massachusetts State Lottery. Valdez, a resident of Lawrence, Massachusetts, decided to spend $20 to participate in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$10,000,000 Premier Cash” instant ticket game at the Mobil station — and her investment earned her a $1 million prize. The Wildest Rules You Didn't Know Powerball and Mega Millions Winners Must Follow After Hitting the Jackpot After learning she won, Valdez cashed in her ticket on Dec. 4, and opted to receive her winnings in the form of a one-time payment of $650,000 (before taxes). The Lawrence resident said she feels “thankful and blessed,” and plans to use the prize to help her family, per the release. The Mobil where Valdez purchased her ticket will also receive a prize — a $10,000 bonus — for selling it. $1M Scratch-Off Lottery Winner Retires Immediately: 'I Don’t Have to Wait!' Over a thousand miles away in Bowling Green, Kentucky, another lucky winner — or more accurately, group of winners — also got another reason to celebrate this holiday season! Earlier this month, a group of coworkers at Med Center Health Environmental Services won and split a $50,000 lottery prize after their boss gifted them scratch-off tickets for the holidays, local NBC affiliate Lex 18 reported. According to the outlet, the employees’ supervisor, Sheila Colter, told lottery officials that she gifted her team with $30 worth of tickets, resulting in a $50 prize, which they then used to buy a Millionaire Club scratch-off ticket, and doubled their winnings. Iowa Lottery Mistakenly Posts Wrong Numbers — But 'Winners' Who Already Cashed in Can Keep Money! Stock photo of a lottery ticket. Getty After deciding to try their luck one more time, the group purchased two more tickets with the $100 — and ended up winning $50,000. "We kept playing as a group. There are 21 of us. I would stop on the way to work, and we kept winning,” Colter said, per local CBS affiliate WLKY. “We were all so excited. I was on the floor.” The group ended up with $35,750 after taxes, and each employee will reportedly receive $1,750, Lex 18 reported. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. A recent lottery ticket winner in Florida was not so lucky. On Dec. 11, an unclaimed Florida lottery ticket worth $44 million expired after the 180-day window the winner had to claim the prize passed. Thankfully, however, the unclaimed prize money is going to a good cause. Since the winner did not come forward, 80% of the prize funds will go to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, while the remainder will return to the state’s prize pool “from which future prizes will be awarded or used for special prize promotions,” Florida lottery officials told PEOPLE in a statement. Even though no one claimed the millions, the store where it was purchased will still receive a percentage, NBC affiliate WESH reported.