A Pinellas County man recently got some extra cash in his pocket.
Charles Kelly Jr., 53, of St. Petersburg spent five bucks on a Gold Rush Doubler scratch-off game and walked away with a cool $1 million prize, the Florida Lottery announced Wednesday , although the ticket was claimed in March of last year.
Kelly opted for the one-time, lump-sum payout of $685,000. According to lottery data, he was one of 16 people who won a million dollars in the $5 Gold Rush Doubler game last year. Four million-dollar games have been sold so far this year.
He bought his ticket at Wildwood Meat Market at 1228 28th Street South in St. Petersburg. The retailer received a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket, lottery officials said.
The game's overall odds of winning are 1-in-3.98 , the Florida Lottery says, but the odds of winning the top prize of $1 million is 1-in-2,010,516. There are 20 top prizes left to win.
Meanwhile, someone won the Powerball jackpot twice this week, but the Mega Millions jackpot for Friday is now up to $527 million .
What games are in the Florida Lottery?
The Florida Lottery has a variety of national and state games. Drawings are held:
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
- Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
- Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
The Florida Lottery also sells dozens of scratch-off games with prizes up to $15 million.
Can you scan Florida scratch-off tickets? Does the Florida Lottery have an app?
Yes! Just use the Florida Lottery app ( iOS | Android ), tap on "Check My Ticket" in the bottom menu and then SCAN BARCODE. Center the ticket's UPC in your camera to find out if you're a winner.
How do you cash scratch-off tickets in Florida?
- Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
- Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
- Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.
You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.
What is the best Florida Lottery scratch-off game?
Depends on what you're looking for.
The scratch-off game with the best odds of winning something may be Gold Rush Limited , where you have a 1-in-2.65 chance of winning something , according to lottery officials.
The game with the biggest single payment jackpot remaining is the $50 500X the Cash , which has two $25 million jackpots still in play (odds of winning, 1-in-21,920,355). Next would be the $30 300X the Cash , which has two $15 million jackpots left. You've got a 1-in-11,701,050 shot at that one.
For potentially the most total cash, depending on your likely lifespan, spending $50 for a chance at $1,000,000 a Year for Life Spectacular (minimum 25) is the biggest value. There's one left of those, with odds of 1-in-21,727,995.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida man wins $1 million in lottery scratch-off game
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