Cue the Duck Boats: Here Comes the Ticket of Champions

By Rachel Guerra, Deputy Director of Communications, Massachusetts State Lottery

Published April 28, 2026

In Massachusetts, there is one thing that unites everyone across the state, and that is winning. When the Boston Celtics won their record-breaking 18th NBA Championship in 2024, the Massachusetts State Lottery acted quickly, bringing into the market the Celtics Banner 18 instant ticket that not only offered six instant $1 million grand prizes and exclusive experiential and merchandise prizes, but also offered players a chance to win a $1 million prize during halftime of a Celtics home game for the first time in the franchise’s illustrious history.

Creative Design & Brand Synergy The creative design for the ticket focused on authenticity and reverence for the Celtics' legacy. The $10 instant ticket was designed to be a collector’s item as much as a game, instantly recognizable to any fan.

• Winning Imagery: The ticket art featured the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy along with the official Celtics logo and the iconic championship banners that decorate the rafters of TD Garden. The use of high-contrast greens and golds mirrored the championship aesthetic of this historic win.

• The Parquet Experience: The play area was styled after the legendary parquet floor, ensuring that every scratch felt like a step onto the court for our players.

• The Power of 18: To honor the 18th title, the game was designed to offer players 18 opportunities to win on every ticket. With 15 Matching Number spots and three “Free Throw” boxes, the game provided players the possibility of winning up to 18 times on one ticket, a tribute to the record number of championships the Celtics have won.

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An Emmy-Nominated Media Strategy The Lottery’s in-house creative team produced 12 original promotional videos featuring three Celtics legends, blending nostalgia with humor.

• Narrative Storytelling: The marketing campaign did more than just sell the ticket, it told a story of championship legacy. Our "Player Shorts" videos were designed for quick consumption on social media, featuring three former Celtics players interacting with the ticket in humorous, relatable ways by putting the former Celtics in the shoes of ticket winners by asking how they’d react to the Celtics Banner 18 winnings.

• High-Impact Placement: The campaign dominated the landscape of Boston’s commuting centers with triptych billboards and live boards throughout Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) stations, including North Station (home to TD Garden, the arena where the Celtics play). These placements ensured that every fan coming in for a game or passing through the transit hubs was met with "The Ticket of Champions" messaging.

• Critically Acclaimed Campaign: The Mass Lottery received two New England Regional Emmy Award nominations relating to the Celtics Banner 18 ticket: A 2025 Best Commercial nomination as well as a 2026 Promotional Campaign nomination for the entire marketing campaign composite.

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Experiential Engagement: Beyond the Scratch A key driver of the ticket’s success was the campaign’s focus on giving players what they couldn’t get elsewhere: exclusive access to the championship moment. From public events engaging directly with the Celtics fanbase to five second-chance drawings filled with unique experiential prizes, the Lottery kept the momentum of the winning moment going long after the team’s duck boat parade throughout the city of Boston ended.

• The Trophy Tour: To bring the celebration to every corner of the Commonwealth, the Lottery hosted a statewide tour of the championship trophy at the end of 2024. By allowing fans to take photos with the trophy at each of our six claim centers, the Lottery turned retail locations into high-traffic destinations, aimed at attracting our players, as well as non-players with an affinity for the Celtics, to generate organic social media engagement and earned media coverage.

• VIP Access: Beyond cash prizes, the ticket’s second-chance drawings leveraged our partnership with the team to offer exclusive Celtics experiences including game tickets, custom jerseys and prize packs, as well as other high-end activities such as an "All-Access Night," which included pre-game floor access to watch warmups, dinner with Celtics legends, and private suite experiences for 18 guests.

• The Banner 18 Challenge: The signature event and top prize of the second-chance drawings brought five finalists to the parquet floor during a Celtics home game, where on December 19, 2025, during halftime, one finalist won $1 million live in front of thousands of cheering fans, while the remaining four received $10,000 each. Hosted by former Celtics player and current media personality Brian Scalabrine, this live activation was the first time $1 million was given away during a Celtics game at TD Garden. This moment closed out the ticket’s marketing campaign, providing a high profile “winning moment” for Celtics fans, Lottery players, and local media alike to connect to.

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Record-Breaking Results Celtics Banner 18 quickly became the Mass Lottery’s best-selling non-holiday $10 game in FY2025.

• Market Velocity: The game achieved a 63% sell-through rate in just 16 weeks, outpacing the next closest non-holiday game by 13 percentage points.

• National Excellence: The ticket outperformed all other U.S. sports-themed instant tickets launched between FY2023 through FY2025, selling through 5.72% more than any comparable game in the country.

• Financial Legacy: The ticket generated over $59.1 million in total sales. With an 80.2% prize payout, the game balanced player excitement with significant contributions to the Lottery’s mission of returning local aid to the Commonwealth.

By combining iconic design, exclusive fan access, an unprecedented on-court presentation, and extensive earned media coverage, the Mass Lottery didn't just sell a ticket, it invited an entire state to be a part of a championship legacy.