A quick stop at a local grocery store completely changed an Ocala woman’s life on February 5, the Florida Lottery announced Friday.
Angelique Hernandez, 44, traveled to the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee to claim a $1 million prize. She won the life-changing amount after purchasing a $20 ticket for the GOLD RUSH LEGACY Scratch-Off game.
Hernandez bought her winning ticket at the Publix grocery store located at 10301 SE U.S. Highway 441 in Belleview. When it came time to collect, she opted to take her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000.00.
The game that made her a millionaire, GOLD RUSH LEGACY, originally launched in April 2024. It was designed with massive payouts in mind, featuring four top prizes of $10 million and 20 individual prizes of $1 million. In total, the game offers more than $894 million in cash prizes, with the overall odds of winning any prize sitting at 1-in-2.97.
Scratch-offs like the one Hernandez bought are a massive driver for the Florida Lottery. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, scratch-off games made up roughly 74 percent of all ticket sales. Since the lottery first started, these specific games have paid out more than $72.2 billion in prizes, created 2,510 millionaires, and pumped more than $21.28 billion into the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
Overall, the Florida Lottery has contributed more than $50 billion toward education initiatives across the state. This funding has helped send more than one million students to Florida’s colleges, universities, and technical schools through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
According to lottery officials, 99 percent of all lottery revenue goes right back into the state’s economy through player payouts, commissions to more than 13,600 retail locations, and direct transfers to education funds.
READ: Scratch That Itch: Florida Lottery Unleashes Four Brand New Games With $360 Million In Prizes
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