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A Florida gambler won a sizable sum last April but may never receive his or her six-figure payout.
The Florida Lottery announced recently that a winning ticket from its FANTASY 5 game will expire this week.
An unknown player picked the correct numbers on the April 9 drawing. The ticket is worth $208,366.19 and will expire at midnight on Oct. 6.
Since the prize exceeds $600, anyone trying to redeem this ticket must do so at a Florida Lottery District Office. Anyone seeking more information can find it by visiting the Florida Lottery website or calling the customer service department at (850)-487-7787.
FANTASY 5 players seem forgetful
While the sum is significantly larger, this isn’t the first time it happened this year. Last June, the Lottery announced that a FANTASY 5 ticket worth $32,686.71 was set to expire.
Both unclaimed tickets picked all five numbers correctly. The player from June missed out on a five-figure jackpot.
For the April 9 drawing, the winning numbers were 6-8-11-17-36. The game pays out cash prizes or a free Quick Pick ticket to its players when they match at least two of the numbers.
FANTASY 5 is one of the most popular Florida Lottery games. It debuted in 1989 with drawings on Tuesday and Friday.
However, over the next decade, the Florida Lottery increased the number of weekly drawings. By 1999, there were five drawings per week.
The mystery gambler bought the ticket at a Publix grocery store in Miami on Southwest 160th St.
The game is a hit with the Florida education system
Since the game is so popular among Florida players, the state’s education system is reaping the tax benefits.
Over its lifespan, the game awarded more than $4.95 billion to Florida gamblers. As a result, it sent $3.81 billion to the Florida education fund.
The Florida Lottery is also responsible for funding the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Additionally, the organization reinvests 99% of the organization’s revenue into the state’s education system.
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