Florida Lottery Player Hits $1M Off $5 Ticket

A player in Florida has turned a mere $5 lottery ticket into a potentially life-altering amount, with one Benjamin Ramirez Gomez, 31, snatching the seven-figure prize.

The player tried the Loteria Grande scratch-off game, buying the winning ticket, the Florida Lottery shared in an official press release on Thursday, April 30.

Big Jackpots Drop All Over Florida

The ticket was bought from a 7-Eleven in Cape Coral, close to Fort Myers. The retailer is also going to receive a share of the prize.

As to the Grand Loteria itself, it’s a fairly frequent winner for players, with the odds set at “just”1 in 3,035,560 for the jackpot payout, which is still plenty good compared to other popular draws.

Gomez joins a long list of other winners to have snatched a big prize from the Florida Lottery. On April 24, the Florida Lottery announced that one Ramon Torres, 69, of Bradenton had also claimed $1 million from the Double Your Money scratch-off game.

Torres has opted for the cash option, getting a lump-sum paid out straight out, which amounted to $605,016 after all necessary taxes were paid.

Another lucky winner in Florida was one Eileen Zilvetti of Palm Harbor, who managed to win $2 million, also on February 24. She played the Silver Streak scratch-off game and also opted for the cash amount, similar to Torres.

As a result, she received $1,195,000 payout. The venue that sold the ticket was a Circle K on US Highway 19 North in Palm Harbor was also paid a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.

Not least, there is the story of yet another big-time winner in Florida only recently. A man won $25 million playing a $50 scratch-off game, as confirmed by the lottery itself on April 14.

The win is the largest for April in Florida, and it demonstrates the lottery’s popularity in the Sunshine State.