The state’s most expensive scratch ticket is enticing players who believe that paying big can lead to winning big.
Since the release of the $30 World Class Millions scratch tickets on April 22, 2.9 million tickets have been sold in 51 towns. That has amounted to nearly $90 million in sales, which is expected to reach $756 million by the time tickets run out, said state lottery spokesman Christian Teja.
“People are very excited about the $15 million grand prize, which is the largest instant prize the Massachusetts lottery has ever offered,” Teja said Friday in a telephone interview. “The probability of winning on this game is 1 in 2.81, and those are extremely great odds.”
Over $600 million is offered in prize money, split between four $15 million prizes, 36 $1 million prizes, and more than a million prizes ranging from $100 to $50,000.
Before World Class Millions was introduced, the highest-priced scratch ticket offered in the state was $20.
“We felt that the market was ready for a $30 ticket,” Teja said. “We’re coming off of a record sales year, and the lottery has been consistently successful, so we thought this was a good time to introduce it.”
For players who shelled out $30 and lost, the ticket offers five second-chance drawings online. Players can submit their losing ticket number online and be entered to win a $1 million prize.
By May 24, two of the $1 million prizes have been claimed.
Massachusetts was not the first to introduce a pricey scratch ticket. Connecticut launched a $30 ticket in 2002, and New Hampshire followed suit in 2009.
Catalina Gaitan can be reached at catalina.gaitan@ globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @catalina_gaitan.