An Okeechobee man has joined the ranks of Florida’s multi-millionaires after hitting the jackpot on a $30 scratch-off ticket. The Florida Lottery announced that 65-year-old Curtis McDugald claimed the top prize in the $15,000,000 GOLD RUSH MULTIPLIER game.
McDugald traveled to Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on September 29 to finalize the win. Faced with payment options, he elected to take his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $8,968,000.00.
The winning ticket was purchased locally at the Okeechobee City Marathon, located at 118 South Parrott Avenue.
READ: Multipliers & Millions: Florida Lottery Drops 5 New Scratch-Offs With $642M In Prizes
The game that delivered McDugald’s fortune, the $15,000,000 GOLD RUSH MULTIPLIER, launched in September 2024. It features high stakes, offering four top prizes of $15 million and six secondary prizes of $1 million. According to lottery officials, the game contains more than $489 million in total cash prizes, with overall odds of winning any prize set at 1-in-2.60.
Scratch-off games continue to be a primary driver for the state agency, accounting for roughly 74 percent of ticket sales during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Since their inception, these instant-win games have awarded over $66.9 billion in prizes and are credited with creating 2,350 millionaires.
Proceeds from ticket sales contribute to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF), which has received more than $20.09 billion from scratch-off revenue to date.
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