A Hillsborough County man scratched his way into a jackpot.
Last September Edin Galindo of Tampa bought a $50,000 A Year For Life scratch-off game for $2 and beat the 1-in-4,815,975 odds to win the top prize, according to a release Tuesday from the Florida Lottery.
“I was very excited and shocked that I won,” Galindo said.
Galindo, 41, opted for the one-time, lump-sum payout of $815,000. He bought his ticket at Quick Mart, located at 2209 East Bearss Avenue. The retailer received a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket, lottery officials said.
Mega Millions, Powerball? These 3 Florida Lottery games have better odds to win $1 million
According to lottery data, six people have won the grand prize of $50,000 a year for life, although all of them have taken the cash option. The most recent one, as yet unnamed but from Miami, won last Thursday with a ticket from Guerrero Market at Reliance Food Mart at 240 SW 8th Ave.
The game’s overall odds of winning something are 1-in-4.43, the Florida Lottery says. There are two more grand prizes available.
Meanwhile, someone in Texas won the big $800 million jackpot Tuesday night but a Floridian won $1 million. The Powerball lottery jackpot was won two times in one week last month and was last reset when a ticket in California won the Powerball drawing on Monday, August 19. The current Powerball jackpot is up to $134 million.
What games are in the Florida Lottery?
The Florida Lottery has a variety of national and state games. Drawings are held:
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Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
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Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
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Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
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Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
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Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
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Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
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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.
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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?
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Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
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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.
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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 Lottery winner from Tampa gets $50,000 A Year For Life
