A Florida woman claimed a $5 million top prize from a scratch-off game.
The Florida Lottery recently announced that Maria Duran, of St Lucie, claimed a $5 million top prize from the $5,000,000 Crossword Cash scratch-off game.
The South Florida woman chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $3,262,138.
Duran purchased her winning ticket from PK 2 Quick Mart, located at 4101 Okeechobee Road in Fort Pierce.
She claimed her top prize at the Florida Lottery’s Orlando District Office.
For $20, players could win up to $5 million instantly playing the $5,000,000 Crossword Cash scratch-off game. This word-themed game offered over $239.6 million in cash prizes, including six top prizes of $5 million. There are no top prizes remaining, but there are two $1 million prizes remaining according to the Florida Lottery.
The game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-2.90.
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 $70.8 billion in prizes, created 2,475 millionaires, and generated more than $20.98 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 $104.8 billion in prizes and created more than 4,475 millionaires.
