Amid much fanfare and looking to cash in on the then-growing poker craze, the Massachusetts Lottery introduced its $10 Texas Hold ’Em instant ticket with a $10 million grand prize to be given away at a Texas Hold ’Em-style poker tournament.
That was in March 2005. More than 430 entrants with seats at the table are still waiting for the tournament to be held.
“I think they should call the game and split the money,” says Sharlene Cellini, 43, a Weymouth mother of two who is number 63 on the tournament list. “I just think it’s crazy.”
The tournament will not be held until 560 entrants are chosen. People who submit a winning ticket for a merchandise prize pack worth $500 are entered into a drawing. One entrant is chosen out of every 123 submitted.
Lottery officials say there are still 11 million tickets left. At the rate they are currently selling, it will take about 100 weeks to run out of them; the tournament would be held one year after that point, or more than seven years after the contest began.
Some entrants have moved — and some have even died — since winning entry into the tournament. Nicholas Zeogas, who was the second person to win a spot, in May 2005, says he was initially told the tournament would be held in about a year.
“I talked to some girl there and said, ‘What would happen if I died?’” says the 75-year-old Wollaston resident. “They said, ‘You won’t need the money, then.’ Can you imagine that?”