Florida man walks into Publix, leaves $1 million richer after winning scratch-off
On Monday, the Florida Lottery announced that Alexander Demooy, 38, from Naples, Florida, won $1 million after he went to Publix, a grocery store, purchased a $50 scratch-off ticket and played the 500X The Cash Scratch-Off game.
Demooy received his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000, according to a press release. Publix also received a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the lucky ticket.
"Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery's portfolio of games, comprising approximately 74 percent of ticket sales in fiscal year 2023-2024," the Florida Lottery stated.
Did anyone win the Powerball jackpot? Winning numbers for April 14 drawing: Jackpot rises to $100 million
While Demooy won $1 million while playing the scratch-off game, players can win a max of $25 million when purchasing the $50 scratch-off card.
One of the two top prizes remains, according to the lottery.
There is a 1 in 4.23 chance players win any prize when they purchase a 500X The Cash scratch-off, according to the lottery. But, people with dreams of winning $25 million or even $1 million will need to be extra lucky.
The odds of winning the $1 million prize are 1 in 274,004, while the odds of winning the last $25 million prize are one in 21,920,355.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn,X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida man wins $1 million from $50 scratch-off purchased at Publix
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