The Florida Lottery announced that Joseph Demaio, of Lake City, claimed a $500,000 top prize from the $500,000 Cash Blowout! scratch-off game.
The Florida man chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $500,000.
The Columbia County man purchased his winning ticket from Tower Road Supermarket, located at 7114 W. University Avenue in Gainesville.
He claimed his prize at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
For $50, the $500,000 Cash Blowout! scratch-off game offers 100 top prizes of $500,000. There are over 1.01 billion in cash prizes, including more than 6.3 million winning tickets. There are 85 top prizes remaining according to the Florida Lottery.
Overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.08.
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. Additionally, since inception, scratch-off games have awarded more than $66.9 billion in prizes, created 2,350 millionaires, and generated more than $20.09 billion for the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $49 billion to enhance education and sending more than 983,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 99 percent of its revenue into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,550 Lottery retailers, and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid over $100.2 billion in prizes and created more than 4,300 millionaires.
