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If you’re feeling lucky, it might be time to buy a scratcher. In just seven days, six Florida Lottery players won $1 million in scratch-off prizes.
The run was unprecedented, and a reminder that, while inflation hammers Floridians’ wallets, they’ve still got a few dollars to spare for scratch-off tickets.
The popularity of the Florida Lottery continues to soar. It sold more than $9 billion in lottery tickets during the last fiscal year. Of that, $2.2 billion went to education in the state. Both amounts were record highs.
500x the Cash produced three big prizes
The lottery’s 500x the Cash game accounted for half the million-dollar winners during the hot streak. It’s the lottery’s most expensive game – $50 for a single play. The high price tag is likely due to the game’s top prize, $25 million. There’s still one grand prize ticket out there.
All three of the most recent 500x the Cash winners reside in Florida.
- Jenny Marotzke, 38, of Cape Coral, bought her ticket from a Publix. She chose a lump-sum payment of $820,000.
- Amy Lemley, 69, of Largo, purchased her winner from a Wawa. She chose a lump-sum payment of $880,000.
- Carlos Romer, 62, of Miami Lakes, picked up his golden ticket at a Publix. He chose a lump-sum payment of $820,000.
500x the Cash launched in February, offering 160 $1 million prizes. There are 76 of those prizes still available, according to the Florida Lottery.
Two winners played Gold Rush Limited
A pair of lottery players won their $1 million prize via Gold Rush Limited, a $20 scratcher with a top prize of $5 million. The game launched in September 2021 with 100 prizes of $1 million; 55 remain.
One of the two winners was Zabetti Pappas, 66, of Pensacola. She bought her winning ticket at a Publix and chose to take a lump-sum payment of $795,000.
The other winner, Robert White, a 61-year-old from Apopka, bought his winner at a Quick Serv in Apopka. White chose to take a lump-sum payment of $795,000.
Billion Dollar Gold Rush Supreme accounts for the sixth winner
Christina Baldino, an Alva resident, bought her winning Billion Dollar Gold Rush Supreme ticket at a Handy Food in Alva. Hers was one of 18 tickets that surrendered a million-dollar prize since the game launched in February 2021.
Billion Dollar Gold Rush Supreme has six remaining million-dollar prizes and one remaining $15 million prize. The cost of a ticket is $20.
Florida Lottery sales have been hot
The recent streak of million-dollar winners is a reminder that people are still playing the lottery amid record inflation.
In fact, midway through the fiscal year, the lottery’s sales numbers were $314 million ahead of projections.
Those projections are a good sign for the state’s education system, which receives more than a billion dollars annually from lottery sales. To date, the lottery has contributed more than $40 billion in funding for the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
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