Light on the numbers of winners announced this week, but heavy on the amounts they won! A total of four Florida Lottery scratch-off winners were announced with a whopping $32,000,000 in combined winnings.
On Tuesday, George Demetriades, of Bonita Springs, claimed a $25 million top prize from the 500X THE CASH Scratch-Off game at the Lottery’s Fort Myers District Office on May 11, 2022. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $20,560,000.00.
Demetriades purchased his winning ticket from Circle K, located at 10460 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs. The retailer will receive a $50,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $50 game, 500X THE CASH, features a top prize of $25 million—the largest ever offered on a Florida Scratch-Off game—and the best odds to become an instant millionaire! The game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.50.
Then on Wednesday, Florenda Zelaya, 50, of Apopka, claimed a $1 million prize, also from the 500X THE CASH Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $820,000.00.
Zelaya purchased her winning ticket from All In One Deli, located at 1488 East Semoran Boulevard in Apopka. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
On Thursday the gold rush struck with Melanie Strickland, 60, of Tallahassee, claiming a $1 million prize from the GOLD RUSH LIMITED Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $795,000.00.
When asked by Lottery Headquarters if Strickland has any big plans for her win, she wasn’t sure, “I think I still can’t believe it. I just wish my mom was here to see this.” Strickland recalls her mom collecting any spare pennies she found and placing them in a jar. Strickland’s morning at the Parkside Food and Gas was a routine pit stop, and after discovering her big win, Strickland went back to tell her friends. “When I stepped out of my car, the first thing I saw was a big, shiny penny. I picked it up in honor of my mom.”
Strickland purchased her winning ticket from Parkside Food and Gas, located at 1417 South Monroe Street in Tallahassee. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
On Friday another big winner with Ray Fundora, 40, of Homestead claiming a $5 million top prize from the $5,000,000 LUCK Scratch-Off game at the Lottery’s Miami District Office on May 17, 2022. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $3,815,000.00.
Fundora purchased his winning ticket from 7-Eleven, located at 13695 S.W. 288th Street in Homestead. The retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $20 game, $5,000,000 LUCK, launched in September 2019 and features more than $329 million in cash prizes, including twelve top prizes of $5 million. The game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-2.97
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 75 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $1.3 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2020-21.
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