LOTTERY

Florida Lottery winners are being turned away from collecting their winnings because of problems involving the Department of Economic Opportunity.

These days, playing games or seeing if you won doesn’t even require people to go to the store.

The winning ticket in Tuesday’s $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing was sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach.

Winning the lottery is actually a curse? It has been the case for many winners.

A 68-year-old Jacksonville man turned $50 into a $1 million prize when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Thursday.

The Powerball Jackpot is at more than half a billion dollars with the next drawing set for Wednesday night.

A 28-year-old man from Jacksonville just joined the seven-figures club and all it took was a lucky lottery scratch-off ticket.

A Jacksonville woman turned $50 into a $1 million prize when she bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Thursday.

A 31-year-old Jacksonville man turned $50 into a $1 million prize when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Monday.

Friday night’s Mega Millions Jackpot is flirting with $1 billion at $940 million. A portion of the money from the lottery goes to education.

The prize has rolled over 22 times since October.

Lottery players will have a chance to ring in the New Year with a $685 million bonus in their bank account as a drawing is held in the Mega Millions game.

A 53-year-old Jacksonville man claimed a $1,000-a-week-for-life prize from the draw game CASH4LIFE, the Florida Lottery announced Friday.

Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.

It’s the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.

The eighth-largest lottery jackpot will be up for grabs when numbers are drawn for an estimated $700 million Powerball grand prize.

A winning lottery ticket worth a share of a $494 million Mega Millions jackpot was purchased in a southwest Florida city hammered by Hurricane Ian late last month.

In fiscal year 2021-22, scratch-off ticket sales generated more than $1.8 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).

A 44-year-old Jacksonville man claimed a $1 million prize from the 500X the Cash Scratch-Off game at the Lottery's Jacksonville District Office, the Florida Lottery announced Friday.

They didn’t hit the big jackpot, but five Mega Millions players in Florida still managed to win at least $1 million from the Friday drawing.

There’s more than a billion dollars on the line for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing.

After handing out 99 lottery tickets to excited listeners last week, 99.9 Gator Country was at it once again Friday hoping to help one of its loyal listeners hit the jackpot.

With Mega Millions fever sweeping the country, lottery pools are flooding offices nationwide. But before you either chip in or organize an office pool, here are some do's and don'ts to consider.

Lottery officials have raised the Mega Millions grand prize to $660 million, giving players a shot at the nation’s ninth largest jackpot.

How does a $260,000 annual salary over the next 25 years sound?

The Florida Lottery announced on Thursday that Gregory Wojciechowski, 62, was the GOLD RUSH LIMITED scratch-off winner of a $1 million dollar prize. He chose to claim his winnings as a one-time lump-sum payment, meaning he’s taking home $795,000 of the $1 million dollar prize won from the scratch-off ticket.

A Jacksonville man was one of two in Florida to claim a $1 million prize in a Cashword scratch-off game.

A 39-year-old Jacksonville man is the latest to win a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket, claiming a $1 million prize from a $50 ticket.

The Florida Lottery introduced the new 500X THE CASH Scratch-Off game on Monday.

A 56-year-old Jacksonville woman claimed a $5 million top prize from a scratch-off game at the Lottery's Jacksonville District Office.

The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.

He turned $30 into $1,000,000.

He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000.00.

Someone could end 2021 by becoming an instant millionaire.

She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $780,000.00.

He purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket at Winn-Dixie, located at 6060-10 Fort Caroline Road in Jacksonville.

The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $20 game, 200X THE CASH, launched in September 2020 and features more than $446 million in cash prizes, including ten top prizes of $5 million! The game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-2.96.

The best part of the story: Todd originally thought she had won $100,000.

Having just had her flight canceled, a Missouri woman’s luck quickly changed when she won $1 million from a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket.

For just $1, players can win up to five times or win all five prizes shown if they reveal the Money Bag symbol.

A Flagler County resident has claimed a $1 million top prize from “The Fastest Road To $1,000,000″ scratch-off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

The person who bought a $286 million winning Powerball ticket at a Circle K on the westside still hasn’t come forward to claim the prize.

He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $890,000.00.

Two Florida women each claimed a $500,000 top prize from the PAY ME! Scratch-Off game.

A Nassau County man walked away with $1 million after a quick stop at a Circle K in Callahan.

She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $880,000.00.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 50-year-old man in Jacksonville just claimed the $1 million prize from the 200X THE CASH Scratch-Off game, The Florida Lottery announced on Friday. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump sum payment of $890,000. The man purchased his winning ticket from Publix, located at 7628-24 103rd Street in Jacksonville. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. The $20 game, 200X THE CASH, launched in September 2020 and features more than $446 million in cash prizes, including ten top prizes of $5 million!

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville resident claimed a top prize from the $500-a-Week-for-Life scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery announced Wednesday. She claimed her winnings using a secured drop box at the Jacksonville district office. Florida Lottery offices are currently open to the public by appointment only for players with prizes valued at $600 or more. Players can request a claim appointment at Headquarters and district offices through the Lottery’s website, at flalottery.com/howToClaim. Players can still utilize the secured drop box located at each district office or mail tickets to Florida Lottery headquarters or a district office.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One lucky lottery player in Jacksonville won $1 million from the Saturday, Jan. 23 Powerball drawing. The winning ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven located at 902 Margaret Street in Jacksonville. The winning tickets matched all five of the white ball numbers but did not match the Powerball number. The other winning ticket’s were sold in Melbourne, Marianna, Clermont, Cutler Bay and North Port. Florida Powerball winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.

Just who will collect the Powerball prize may never be known: Maryland is one of the states that allow winners to remain anonymous. The Powerball jackpot came only a day after nobody won the $970 million Mega Millions prize, the third-largest prize in U.S. history. The biggest prize was a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016. Most winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $716.3 million and $546.8 million for Wednesday's Powerball. After the Powerball win, the new jackpot has a $15 million cash value.

The Powerball jackpot is the fifth-largest ever, and it will come only a day after nobody won the even-larger Mega Millions prize, which now stands at $970 million. The biggest prize was a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016. Such a long stretch without a winner is rare but also reflects the incredibly small odds of winning — one in 292.2 million for Powerball and one in 302.5 million for Mega Millions. Most winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $716.3 million and $546 million for Powerball. Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

If a lottery player strikes big in the next Powerball drawing on Wednesday, it would be the fifth-largest jackpot ever in the United States. No one beat the odds in Friday's Mega Millions drawing, so that jackpot grew to an estimated $850 million. It's been nearly two years since a lottery jackpot has grown so large. The estimated cash prize for the next Mega Millions jackpot is $628.2 million. Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Going into Saturday, there was over $1 billion total up for grabs between Saturday’s Powerball drawing and the Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday. I would put a down payment on a house, if not pay for the whole house, I guess with that amount of money.”The Mega Millions jackpot is at $850 million before taxes, while the Powerball jackpot was at $640 million. There are many things that a person can buy, like a private island to party or just take a quick vacation. Or if you love Shad Khan’s yacht, you could buy one just like it for $200 million. It just costs you a couple dollars.”There are a million and one people things you can do if you win the jackpot, but the biggest problem would probably be saving money as a new millionaire.

The Mega Millions and Powerball are now at more than $400 million each -- and that’s only ever happened twice before. Her net worth is about 400 million, but you have to win both jackpots to be worth as much as Tiger Woods. The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $447 million on Tuesday and the Powerball jackpot rolled to an estimated $410 million on Saturday. In terms of toilet paper... with $400 million you can buy more than 32 million 12-pack rolls. Chances of winning the mega millions?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 56-year-old man from Jacksonville just claimed a $5 million top prize from the 200X THE CASH Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. Three years ago he claimed a $1 million prize from the $5,000,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game! [[2017 story -- Jacksonville man wins $1M in scratch-off game]]“I love playing the Lottery at my local Gate store! Every November I play my favorite Scratch-Off games because I feel it brings me extra luck,” he said. The retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

For the past few months, News4Jax has been getting a steady stream of news releases from the Florida Lottery. It’s unclear if the coronavirus pandemic has anything to do with this, but for the 2019-20 timeframe, more than half of the winning tickets worth $600 or more have been claimed in 2020, which isn’t even over yet. So we can either venture the guess that more people are buying tickets or waited until now to cash them in. In all of 2019, there were eight big winners like this. But this new game alone has led to seven of these big paydays in the first 8 ½ months of 2020 alone.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A St. Augustine man is nearly a million dollars richer after winning the top prize in the "Fastest Road to $1,000,000″ scratch-off game. The 56-year-old purchased his $30 ticket from A1A Discount Beverage, located at 855 Anastasia Boulevard in St. Augustine. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. The game launched in February and features 155 top prizes of $1,000,000 and over $948 million in cash prizes. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman is nearly a million dollars richer after winning the top prize in the “Fastest Road to $1,000,000″ scratch-off game. The Jacksonville resident, 62, purchased her $30 ticket from Publix, located at 10500 San Jose Boulevard State 36 in Jacksonville. She chose to receive the winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000.00. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket. The game launched in February and features 155 top prizes of $1,000,000 and over $948 million in cash prizes.

TALLAHASSEE – A Jacksonville man is nearly a million dollars richer after winning the top prize in the “Fastest Road to $1,000,000″ scratch-off game. The Jacksonville resident, 34, purchased his $30 ticket from Gate, located at 700 Durbin Pavillion Drive in Saint Johns. He chose to receive the winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000.00. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. The game launched in February and features 155 top prizes of $1,000,000 and over $948 million in cash prizes.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is half a million dollars richer after winning the top prize in the Break the Bank Bingo scratch-off game. Jacksonville resident Anthony Clarke, 52 won $500,000 in the game after purchasing his $5 ticket at the Dunn Food Store at 10696 Biscayne Boulevard. The Break the Bank game began last April and offers relatively good odds to win a prize (1 in 3.98 tickets yields a prize). The game offers more than $41 million in cash prizes. Scratch-off tickets are 69% of the Lottery’s portfolio.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 49-year-old man who bought a $20 scratch-off ticket at a BP Gas station on University Boulevard West in Jacksonville has claimed a $1 million prize, the Florida Lottery announced Tuesday. Andy Li used a secure drop box in at lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim the prize in the $20 MONOPOLY™ JACKPOT Scratch-Off game . He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $715,000.00. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.97.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County woman came up with a winning ticket in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game and is now two million dollars wealthier. Debra Tice, 56, of Hastings, claimed a $2 million top prize from the 100X Scratch-Off game using a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,605,000.00. Tice purchased her winning ticket from Circle K, located at 4205 U.S. 1 South in Saint Augustine. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A St. Johns County woman came up with a winning ticket in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game and is now a million dollars wealthier. Brandee Schemer, 43, purchased a $20 ticket for the Gold Rush Classic game from the Speedway gas station on Roberts Road in St. Johns. Her winning ticket was good for $1 million. Gold Rush Classic allows players to win up to $5 million playing the scratch-off game. Speedway in St. Johns will receive a $2,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

Wolfgang Buck, 66, and Lisa Buck, 55, of Orange Park, co-trustees of The Royal Flush Trust, claimed a $5 million top prize from the $5,000,000 Luck Scratch-Off game, the Florida Lottery announced Friday. The winning Scratch-Off ticket was purchased from Circle K located at 804 Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park. This $20 game launched in September 2019 and features more than $329 million in cash prizes, including six top prizes of $5 million. The Bucks used a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. To help protect employees and players during the COVID-19 outbreak, Florida Lottery headquarters and district offices remain closed to the public until further notice.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 31-year-old Jacksonville woman has claimed the top prize in the “Fastest Road to $1,000,000” scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery announced Tuesday. Shateya Anthony used a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee to claim her prize. The game, launched in February, features 155 top prizes of $1 million and over $948 million in cash prizes. To help protect employees and players during the COVID-19 outbreak, Florida Lottery headquarters and district offices remain closed to the public. Players who have winning tickets are encouraged to utilize the Lottery’s secured drop box located at each district office or mail tickets to Florida Lottery headquarters or their nearest district office.

Published: March 3, 2020, 9:45 am Updated: March 3, 2020, 9:51 amNASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A 63-year-old Hilliard man just won a $1 million top prize from a $30 scratch-off game. The Florida Lottery announced that Robert Thrift claimed the first $1 million top prize from the new THE FASTEST ROAD TO $1,000,000 Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000.00. Thrift purchased his ticket from Smile Line, located at 5633 East Highway 98 in Parker. The $30 game launched in February and features 155 top prizes of $1,000,000 and over $948 million in cash prizes.

This Florida woman scratched her way to be two million dollars richer. Joyce Klarberg, of Edgewater, Florida, won the first $2 million top prize from the Florida Lottery’s new 100X Scratch-Off game, according to lottery officials. The winning scratch-off was purchased at the Publix on 2970 South Ridgewood Avenue in Edgewater. The 100X Scratch-Off ticket costs $10 and features eight prizes of $2 million. According to lottery officials, the game’s overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.46.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Can a Florida Lottery winner keep their identity secret? The state’s answer is clear: “Florida Lottery winners cannot remain anonymous." But a Jacksonville resident was able to keep his or her identity under wraps after winning the $3.5 million Florida Lotto jackpot by using a legal loophole. Typically, the jackpot winner’s personal information, apart their home address and telephone number, would have been made available to anybody asking for it. If this becomes common practice, Florida would be joining half a dozen other states which already allow lotto winners LLC anonymity.

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Someone in southwest Florida purchased a winning Powerball ticket worth almost $397 million, officials with the Florida Lottery said Thursday. The winning ticket was bought from a convenience store in Bonita Springs, Florida. The winner has six months to file a claim for the jackpot. However, if the winner wants a lump sum payment of $276.5 million, the claim must be filed within two months. Wednesday night’s drawing also produced a $1 million winning ticket that was purchased in Coconut Creek, Florida, according to the Florida Lottery.

One person in Florida is a whole lot richer Thursday morning. The winning $396,900,000 Powerball lottery ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to lottery officials. The winning numbers for Wednesday’s drawing were 9, 12, 15, 31 and 60, with a Powerball of 2. The jackpot is now back to $40 million, with the next drawing taking place Feb. 1.

TALLAHASSEE – A Jacksonville woman has claimed a $2 million top prize from the Cashword Scratch-Off gameLinda Zimmerman, 73, of Jacksonville, chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,475,000.00. Zimmerman purchased her winning ticket from Day N’ Nite Food Store on Lem Turner Road in Jacksonville. It looks like the $10 scratch-off game paid off! The overall odds of winning are one-in-3.38.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When you think of scratch off or general lottery tickets, you probably think the odds are against you and there’s no rhyme or reason to it. At that level of winning, winners are required to fill out a claim form, which includes where the ticket was purchased. It sold more winning tickets worth $600 or more in 2017 and 2018, with a total of 156 of those winners. Scroll to the bottom of this story to view an interactive map showing details on which stores near you most frequently sell winning lottery tickets and scratch-offs (App users click here). She purchased 48 winning tickets worth $70,500 during this two-year window.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man won $1 million from a scratch-off ticket purchased on Monument Road, Florida Lottery officials said. He won the $1 million prize playing the $5,000,000 Gold Rush Doubler scratch-off game. Lottery officials said Garvanovic chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $745,000. Garvanovic purchased his winning ticket from the Gate gas station at 1001 Monument Road. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Lottery is warning about a lottery scam going around that could fool you into thinking you've won $1 million. Here's how the scam works: Potential victims receive an email saying they've won a prize. But, lottery officials warned in a Monday email, you should not respond to these emails. Nor should you transfer any funds to secure your prize for that drawing or any other Florida Lottery game. To report a lottery scam, consumers should contact the Florida Lottery’s Division of Security at (850) 487-7730.

A Jacksonville woman won the top prize of $10 million from a $25 scratch-off ticket, lottery officials announced Wednesday. Lena Edwards joins another local woman, Grace Jones, who scored a $1 million prize from the same scratch-off game. Edwards purchased her winning ticket from Main Street Quick Stop on North Main Street in Jacksonville. Lottery officials said Edwards elected to take her prize as a one-time sum of nearly $7.5 million. It features a slew of prizes, including two top prizes of $10 million and 47 prizes of $1 million.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Ponte Vedra woman won half of the $650,000 jackpot from last month's Lucky Money lottery drawing, lottery officials announced Tuesday. Carolyn Morris, 70, bought her winning ticket at the GATE store on U.S. 1 near County Road 210. The other winning ticket was purchased in Zephyrhills. Morris took her prize money as a lump sum payment of $245,390, lottery officials said. The next Lucky Money drawing is scheduled for Tuesday at 11:15 p.m.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville Navy veteran won $2 million jackpot in the Florida Lottery's Lucky Money drawing after buying a Quick Pick ticket this month, lottery officials announced Wednesday. Michael Baines, Sr., bought the winning ticket at the Publix on Argyle Forest Boulevard in Jacksonville, the Florida Lottery said in a release. Baines chose to collect his winnings in a lump sum of $1,488,961.20 in lieu of receiving the total jackpot in periodic installments. Lottery officials said ticket sales for this drawing generated more than $2.4 million to contribute to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – There could be someone in St. Augustine who is sitting on a lot of unclaimed money. The Florida Lottery today announced Monday that a FANTASY 5 top prize-winning ticket worth $227,100.11 remains unclaimed. The winning FANTASY 5 numbers for the January 13, 2017, drawing were 03-24-27-29-31. While any Florida Lottery retailer can validate the winning ticket, the FANTASY 5 top prize must be claimed at a Florida Lottery district office or at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. Players can obtain additional information by calling the lottery’s Customer Service Department at 1-850-487-7787 or visiting the Florida Lottery’s website at www.flalottery.com.