A quick stop for a lottery ticket just turned into a life-changing event for a Miami Springs man this week. Ricardo Martinez officially joined the ranks of Florida’s millionaires after claiming a $2 million top prize from the ULTIMATE VIP CA$HWORD scratch-off game.
Martinez made the trip to the Florida Lottery’s Miami District Office on October 29 to turn in his winning ticket, opting for a single, lump-sum payment of $1,195,000.00 rather than long-term installments.
The winning ticket was sold at Mr. Baker, a local business located at 10720 W. Flagler Street in Miami. While Martinez walks away with the lion’s share of the prize, the retailer typically receives a commission for selling the winning entry, making it a win for the local neighborhood spot as well.
READ: Citrus County Man Strikes Gold In Brooksville With $2 Million Florida Lottery Scratch-Off Win
The ULTIMATE VIP CA$HWORD game has become a staple for players who prefer a slower, more interactive “word-hunt” style of play compared to standard “match and win” tickets.
For a $10 buy-in, players navigate a grid of letters to reveal hidden words, with eight total top prizes of $2 million floating around the state. Lottery officials noted that this specific game is packed with over $185 million in total cash prizes and features more than 7.3 million winning tickets across various prize tiers.
Even for those who don’t hit the million-dollar milestone like Martinez, the game offers relatively competitive odds for the casual player. The overall chances of winning any prize stand at 1-in-3.37. For Martinez, however, the numbers lined up perfectly, proving that sometimes the right word at the right time is worth much more than a thousand pictures—it’s worth a fortune.
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