The Florida Lottery yielded a single, $6 million winner Saturday night, and the winning ticket was sold in Tamarac.
The numbers were 8-14-18-24-33-37 and the winning ticket was sold at University Sunoco, 8291 N. University Drive, Tamarac. It was a quick pick.
Meanwhile, Powerball was a misses Saturday night, rolling over to $54 million on Wednesday.
The Powerball numbers: 3-21-24-28-39 with a Powerball of 24.
Fantasy 5 also was good to South Florida, and it's really nice payout: $139,916.48. The numbers were 5-16-20-23-29, and winners were sold at Publix, 225 S. Flamingo Road, Plantation (one of my regular Publixes) and Presidente Supermarket, 1895 SW Eight St. Miami.
A Pennsylvania man that was buying a case of beer to go claimed a $128.8 million Powerball jackpot that he won on Christmas Eve in Maryland.
But we may never know who he is. The man and his wife won their jackpot in Maryland, which does not require winners to reveal their name. That's different from Florida, for example, which lists each winner's name, age and hometown -- if for no other reason than to prove that "people really do win."
The numbers: 14, 16, 30, 51, 52 and a Poweball of 19.
The man said he walked into a restaurant called Wesley’s to purchase a case of beer and on his way out happened to see the Mega Millions and Powerball signs.
“The Mega Millions jackpot was larger, but the drawing for Powerball was that evening, so I bought two tickets for that drawing,” he said to lottery officals.
“I checked my tickets on Christmas day,” he told them. “When I saw the numbers, I started stomping on the floor and shouted to my wife to come upstairs.”
“We were in shock,” she said. “At first, we thought we’d won $20 million. To discover it was over $125 million was unreal.”
The couple has not yet decided whether to take the $128.8 million annuity or the cash option of approximately $81 million.
The multi-state Powerball game is played in 44 states and jurisdictions. I'm curious what people think about lottery rules that in some states lets people remain anonymous and in other states requires their names be public (as in Florida). What do you think?
Powerball and the Florida Lotto were both misses Saturday night, but two ticket-buyers had lucky New Year's Eves in Broward.
The Powerball numbers: 5-23-25-28-40 with a Powerball of 34.
It'll be $30 million Wednesday night.
Florida Lotto: 11-22-29-34-44-46. It goes to $5 million.
Fantasy 5 was 13-14-19-20-32, with winners at Publix, 7230 W. Atlantic Blvd, Margate; Kangaroo Express, 45 SW 250th St., Newberry and Stop N Save, 4529 West Hallandale Beach Boulevard, Hollywood.
Richard McMullen, 54, of Tallahassee, claimed the $50 million Florida Lotto jackpot prize from the drawing held on Christmas Eve.
The winning numbers were 2-11-15-19-24-26. The winning ticket was purchased at Circle K, located at 1848 Capital Circle N.E. in Tallahassee.
McMullen told lottery officials he has been playing the same six numbers for more than 10 years. It has always been understood that any jackpot winnings would be shared among the family.
Here's comes his quote: “This is definitely our most memorable Christmas ever,” said McMullen.
Saturday’s Lotto drawing produced the 1,000th jackpot-winning ticket since the game’s inception in April 1988, resulting in a bonus commission of $150,000 for the retailer that sold the winning ticket.
It's becoming a Christmas tradition for Powerball: Someone has a very happy holiday.
Powerball, the lottery game played in 42 states, produced a single winner from Saturday night's drawing. Whoever bought a ticket, sold in Maryland, with the numbers 14-16-30-51-52 and a Powerball of 19 has won $125 million.
Last year, a New York couple that had been married for 30 years won $48 million on a Dec. 25 drawing.
Meanwhile, the Florida Lotto, which had been dry for three months produced one winner of $50 million. The numbers were 2-11-15-19-24-26, and the ticket was sold in Tallahassee.
The next drawing is Christmas Eve; I'm not trying to overly promote the lottery here, but actually with the jackpots this high, tickets are a fun, easy gift. (My male species, especially, can be kind of challenged when it comes to gifts.)
Deborah Thomas, 61, of Tamarac, claimed her $500,000 prize at the Florida Lottery headquarters. She won playing a Monopoly scratch-off game.
“This will be a very special holiday season for my family and me, and I am extremely thankful for this wonderful experience,” she told lottery officials.
She purchased her winning ticket from Snappy Convenience Store, located at 115 SE 10th St. in Deerfield Beach.
The $20 Scratch-Off game, $3 million Monopoly, offers more than $378 million in prizes, including 10 top prizes of $3 million and more than 8.61 million prizes ranging from $20 to $500,000. The overall odds of winning are one in 2.93. There are five prizes of $500,000 and four prizes of $3 million remaining in the game.
Powerball, meanwhile, is now up to about $104 million, and it'll really shoot up in the next couple of weeks. That's because a lot of players increase their purchases after it crosses $100 million, because now it's really big money (like the starting jackpot of $20 million isn't?). The numbers: 13-28-49-51-59 with a Powerball of 33.
The numbers Wednesday night: 1-3-4-9-33-38. The jackpot is at its highest of the year, and will be $47 million Saturday night.
A lot of people play birthdays for Lotto, and four of the six numbers fell below 31 -- and even below 10. But, alas, no one has a birthday on the 33rd or the 38th, so...
Powerball, meanwhile, is now up to about $91 million. The numbers: 2-24-46-52-56 with a Powerball of 19.
We are experiencing a statistical anomaly -- which explains why the Saturday night's Florida Lotto drawing is at its highest of the year, $43 million.
Ticket sales stop at 10:40 p.m. Saturday; the drawing is at 11:15 p.m.
Since Sept 17, not one of the 89 million tickets purchased has been able to match the exact six numbers drawn out of the pool of 1 through 53. We should have hit by now, because while the odds of a single ticket winning is a very remote one in about 23 million, we've tried 89 million times.
So, what are the chances we'd keep missing like that?
About 2 percent, computes Jason Gershman, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at Nova Southeastern University, who often uses the lottery for his examples.
The math:
While one 23 million is the approximate number cited for hitting the lottery, actually the odds of choosing the correct six of 53 is exactly one in 22,957,480. Because we're computing the odds of every ticket being a loser, it becomes 22,957,479 losing outcomes divided by 22,957,480 possibilities -- raised to the power of 89 million. That equals 2.07 percent or about a 1 in 48 chance, he says. In other words: There's a 97.93 percent chance that we'd have hit by now.
"In statistics, oftentimes 5 percent is considered rare. So this would be considered a rare event," says Gershman (left).
Gershman notes that we're assuming all combinations are selected equally by all players, which isn't quite true in the lottery, although quick picks add to the randomness. But lucky numbers like 7 and 11 are played a lot, as are numbers 1 to 31, because so many people play their birthdays.
But for this case Gershman looked at the winning numbers since Sept. 17, and there is no real extreme pattern of all high numbers coming in on one week. So he's comfortable with the randomess, and the 2 percent probability he computed.
People often mistakenly believe that if a number or number combination has missed for a long time, then it's "due" -- for example if 27 hasn't come up in the roulette wheel after 10 spins, the chance is greater of it hitting on No. 11. But each event is independent, so the mathematical chances of a number hitting is the same, regardless of what has just happened, he says..
That said, he noted that the only sure way to guarantee a winner would be to do what horse racing bettors call "wheel the field," i.e. cover every possibility. But that'd cost 23 million bucks -- to earn $43 million, which is paid out over 30 years (about $1.4 million a year) or in an immediate lump sum that is about half. And it also could be cut in half if another player wins. And there's taxes. And, and, and...
Deborah Miller, 50, of Coconut Creek, claimed a $500,000 prize in the Gold Rush Tripler Scratch-Off Game, Florida Lottery officials said.
She purchased her ticket from an Instant Ticket Vending Machine at Publix, located at 4849 Coconut Creek Parkway in Coconut Creek.
The Florida Lottery offers more than 40 Scratch-Off games at any given time through instant ticket vending machines or on-counter displays at more than 13,000 retailers statewide. Scratch-Off games make up about 56 percent of ticket sales.
Meanwhile, Hugo De Leon, 66, of Miami Beach, claimed the first $1 million top prize in the Million Dollar Holiday Scratch-Off game.
De Leon chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $700,000. He purchased his winning ticket at Ruben’s Liquor Store, located at 1000 71st St. in Miami Beach.
According to De Leon, it will be a wonderful holiday season for his family because they will start looking for a new home to purchase with the winnings.
“I am so happy and excited to buy my wife a new house and pay it off in full so we do not have to worry about accumulating debt. We have been living in an apartment for a number of years so this is truly going to be an amazing life change for us,” De Leon told lottery officials.
The $10 Scratch-Off game launched in October 2011, and offers more than $29 million in prizes, including three top prizes of $1 million.
Powerball, meanwhile, rolled over, too, and will be about $52 million Wednesday.
The numbers: 5-18-33-43-45 with a Powerball of 8.
Fantasy 5: 13-19-21-24-30. Four winners: Prestige Food Market, 16784 N.E. 2nd Avenue, N. Miami Beach; Publix, 3501 49th Street North, St. Petersburg - QP; Winn Dixie, 3157 W. 23rd Street, Panama City - QP; Publix, 926 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach.
The Florida Lotto is approaching its highest jackpot of the year going into Saturday night's drawing -- and will produce the year's biggest winner if only a single ticket matches the six numbers drawn.
The jackpot, which has been growing since Sept. 17, is at $39 million.
Powerball and the Florida Lotto rolled over again, but Fantasy 5 yielded another ridiculously large winner.
The Powerball numbers were: 20-37-39-45-55 with a Powerball of 28. It'll be $31 million Wednesday.
Florida Lotto: 2-9-13-22-26-37, going to $37 million Wednesday.
Fantasy 5 was 5-15-19-29-35, with the winner sold at Miller Exxon, 13960 S.W. 56th St., Miami.
The payout was $262,366.95. That's the third-highest amount this year, behind a $273K winner sold in Clearwater and a $270K-plus ticket sold in Delray Beach Nov. 19.
Inoel Ruiz, 54, of Boynton Beach, claimed the Nov. 15 Mega Money jackpot of $550,000 at Florida Lottery headquarters.
Ruiz (pictured with his fiance, Cher Williams) chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option of $453,113.10.
Kwik Stop Food Store, located at 225 S.E. 23rd Avenue in Boynton Beach, received a bonus commission of $1,000 for selling the jackpot-winning Quick Pick ticket.
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Someone who bought a Fantasy 5 ticket in Delray Beach Saturday can have a heck of a black Friday.
The ticket, sold at Publix, 7375 W. Atlantic Ave., is worth $270,311.63. That's the second highest Fantasy 5 payout of the year, just behind the $273,837,57 ticket sold in Clearwater and drawn Nov. 5.
The numbers: 8-15-18-33-34.
Meanwhile, someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Pennsylvania has something to be especially thankful for this week: They're $59.9 million richer.
Powerball usually releases more info on the exact location in Pennsylvania. (I'll take Pittsburgh over Philly in this one.)
The winning numbers were: 9-16-17-28-30 with a Powerball of 11. Powerball officials always announce an estimated jackpot, and were putting it at $60 million; when they counted up the actual tickets sold it was a little short this time, "only" $59.9 million.
And the Florida Lotto rolled over yet again, boosting the jackpot to $34 million for Wednesday night's drawing.
Lawton Kelly Jr., of Pembroke Pines, claimed the Nov. 8 Mega Money jackpot of $550,000 at Florida Lottery headquarters.
He chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option for his winnings of $440,794.23.
Chevron Taft, located at 1601 N. University Drive in Pembroke Pines, received a bonus commission of $1,000 for selling the jackpot-winning Quick Pick ticket.
Powerball numbers were: 04-35-36-51-56, with a Powerball of 8. It'll be $35 million Wednesday.
Florida Lotto: 03-11-15-22-37-38, growing to $28 million.
Meanwhile, Fantasy 5 had six winners of the number 12-14-21-28-35.
Local winners: Publix, 14375 Miramar Parkway, Miramar (quick pick) Publix, 5715 NW Seventh Street, Miami; Shell Gas Station, 1345 NE 79th Street, North Bay Village.
The Florida Lotto is now up to $28 million after yet another rollover Wednesday night.
The numbers were: 09-16-29-44-48-51.
The highest jackpot of the year has been $40 million, shared by two players on Aug. 17.
Powerball also was a rollover, going to about $35 million for Saturday night's drawing. The numbers: 05-35-57-58-59 with a Powerball of 12.
And South Florida continues to dominate Fantasy 5, with three of four winners. The numbers: 02-05-15-29-31.
The winners: Liberty, 2190 Coral Way, Miami; Palmetto Latin Café, 7380 W. 20th Avenue #101, Hialeah; Publix, 200 37th Avenue North, St. Petersburg and Food Mart & Dollar Store, 6886 N.W. 169th Street, Miami Lakes.
Someone who bought a Mega Money ticket in Pembroke Pines is $550,000 richer today. Their numbers came up Tuesday night.
The numbers: 12-35-37-38 with a Mega Ball of 21. The ticket was sold at Chevron Taft, 1601 N. University Drive, Pembroke Pines (I've been there!). It was a Quick Pick. (I first had it as $500,000; that's the amount for the next drawing, lottery officials say.)
Meanwhile, four Fantasy 5 winners, three in South Florida.
The numbers were 03-06-09-19-28. Winning tickets sold at Publix, 133 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach; Tom Thumb, 4805 Mobile Highway, Pensacola; Adrian House of Tobacco, 9819 SW 40th St., Miami and Shop Fast, 1417 N. Dixie Highway, Fort Lauderdale.
It was a rollover for Powerball Saturday night (no surprise), but what's interesting is that the Florida Lotto continues to build.
The Powerball numbers were: 2-33-39-40-43, with a Powerball of 26. The jackpot will be at about $25 million Wednesday.
That's less than the Florida Lotto because no one hit that jackpot again, and it's approaching two months.
The Florida Lotto numbers: 1-4-5-37-38-51. The jackpot grows to $26 million.
Meanwhile, Fantasy 5 had one really nice winner -- $273,837.57 -- but it was from a Publix in Clearwater. So the central part of the state gets money that we gambled on (can you tell I'm setting the stage for some other argument here?).
The biggest Powerball jackpot of the year is gone, and you didn't win -- unless you happened to buy a ticket in Connecticut, then got really, really lucky.
The Powerball numbers were: 12-14-34-39-46, with a Powerball of 36. The jackpot was $254.2 million, up $9.2 million from the $245 million figure Powerball officials were saying during the day Wednesday. (That's common, because now they roll in last-minute ticket sales, which were crazy Wednesday.)
A quick update: Loved this comment on one story:
"Through no fault of my own, I lost this powerball lottery. It is time for the winner to pay "their fare share" and give me what is rightfully mine...their money. We are the 99.9999999% who didn't win and we will not shower for weeks and block your house until you comply."
FYI, the jackpot winner can claim a $254 million annuity paid over 29 years or a lump sum of nearly $152 million in cash.
Meanwhile, we still have interest in the Florida Lotto because no one hit that jackpot Wednesday night.
The Florida Lotto numbers: 11-31-34-39-47-52. With four numbers over 31, those who play birthdays likely got skunked.
Yes, it's riches beyond your wildest imagination: Powerball's jackpot is at $245 million and growing for tonight's drawing. (The actual final total is based on ticket sales, which are still being compiled.)
Powerball is the multi-state lottery game played in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Players choose five numbers (the white balls drawn out Wednesday night) from 1 to 59 and a Powerball (the red ball) from 1 to 39. Odds of winning? One in 195 million.
Meanwhile, our little old Florida Lottery is up there, too. The jackpot for Wednesday's drawing is $23 million; the high for the year is $40 million.
Dawn Cutaro, 68, of Boca Raton, claimed a $500,000 prize in the Gold Rush Tripler Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
Cutaro purchased her winning ticket at Palm Food Store, located at 17851 NW 78th Avenue in Hialeah. She says she always purchases her tickets from Palm Food Store, and believes it to be a lucky store. The retailer has previously sold a number of winning tickets including a Fantasy 5 top prize-winning ticket worth more than $46,000, and three $10,000 winning Scratch-Off tickets.
The $20 Scratch-Off game is the latest installment of the player favorite, Gold Rush Scratch-Off games.
There's good news and bad news if you bought tickets for Saturday night's drawings with the dream of hitting the big Powerball jackpot.
You didn't win. But neither did anyone else.
Powerball rolled over again Saturday night, pushing the jackpot to about $236 million for Wednesday night's drawing -- making it the highest jackpot of the year.
The Powerball numbers were: 11-16-40-51-56, with a Powerball of 38.
And the Florida Lotto also continues to grow, because, it, too, produced no jackpot winner.
The Florida Lotto numbers: 3-8-12-28-34-48.
I'll get Fantasy 5 winner information later today, but the numbers wwere 6-14-19-21-26.
Powerball fever is rising again, almost as fast as the jackpot itself. And the same goes for the Florida Lotto.
The Powerball top prize is now at $203 million as of Friday morning and climbing. (The jackpot is based on total ticket sales, which continue into Saturday night, which explains why the number is still loose.)
Meanwhile, the Florida Lotto, which rises at a set amount after each rollover, is at $21 million.
Neither one has hit since Sept. 14, when a rare double hit, including a $4 million win for a Margate woman.
Powerball, which started with a $20 million jackpot, zooms as it passes $100 million, then really takes off at $200 million. For example, the top prize on $71 million back on Oct. 6, but has almost tripled in the past three weeks.
The record for the year is $228.9 million Aug. 10, on a ticket sold in Minnesota.
Steven Sodikoff, 61, of Tamarac, claimed a $1 million top prize in the $1 million Monopoly Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
Sodikoff has had two previous $1,000 wins this year in the Scratch-Off game.
Sodikoff chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $700,000. He purchased his winning Scratch-Off ticket at Quick Mart, located at 10416 W. Sample Road in Coral Springs.
The $10 Scratch-Off game launched on July 5, 2011, and offers more than $89 million in prizes, including 10 top prizes of $1 million and more than 3.6 million prizes ranging from $10 to $10,000. There are six $1 million top prizes remaining. The overall odds of winning are one in 3.33.
Saying it's following the Netflix business model, a company called LottoGopher announced that it opened for business Monday to buy Powerball tickets online for Floridians.
"It's the next logical progression for lotteries," said CEO James Morel, whose business is not affiliated with the state. The company has been operating for a year in California and is adding Florida and three other states that do brisk lottery business, he said.
Morel said the company is legal because "we don't sell tickets, we're a messenger service." There have been no legal challenges in California, he said, but the state did inquire how the business worked.
"My assumption is we'll get a call from Florida sometime and we'll walk them through it," he said. Florida Lottery officials declined comment today.
The service will cost $10 to $20 per month. Patrons can select the number of tickets they wish and even play their regular numbers, paying by credit card. LottoGopher, which is based near Daytona, will then physically head out to stores and buy tickets (so lottery retailers will still get bonuses and commissions for selling winning tickets).
If the amount won is not a large jackpot prize, LottoGopher will then cash the tickets and credit the user's account. If it's a jackpot in the millions, the company will deliver the ticket to the client, who then must go to Tallahassee to claim the prize, just like they do now.
LottoGopher will sell only Powerball tickets in Florida for now, Morel said. The Florida Lotto has a free ticket as one of its prizes, and the complications from that caused LottoGopher to back off, he said.
Morel said the company sold fewer than 1 million tickets the past year in California, for the multistate game MegaMillions and for the California state lottery. Most state lotteries do business in the billions, and Florida has averaged about $400 million in Powerball sales the past two years.
"We do about the business of one large convenience store," Morel said.
One popular facet, though, is that online buyers can join pools, he said.
"So many play those office pools and of course they’re popular," he said. "The problem with them is it's your office and you have to walk around collecting the dollar from everyone."
The site allows for a maximum of 20 ticket purchases at a time.
"We’re looking for the medium player; between 1 and 20 tickets a drawing," Morel said.
The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling's Brian Kongsvik said online availability is "an expansion of gambling," and also noted that it's the first time Floridians can use credit cards to buy tickets.
"There are some concerns, no doubt," he said.
The sale of Florida tickets is limited to Floridians, Morel noted. The company uses the address on the credit cards to confirm residency.
The Florida Lottery today held the third of five drawings in the Fan-Tastic College Football Promotion.
Ten winners from each of the eight participating universities were selected to win two game tickets to a 2011 season home game, two team hats and t-shirts, and $25 in Florida Lottery Scratch-Off tickets.
For a complete list of winners, visit the second chance section of the Lottery’s website at www.flalottery.com.
From Aug. 29 through Nov. 30, players who purchase $10 or more in Florida Lotto tickets will receive a voucher with a unique serial number that may be entered in one of eight college football fan experience promotions on the Lottery’s website. Universities participating in the promotion are: Florida A & M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, and University of South Florida.
One preliminary drawing for each of the eight teams remains and will be held on Nov. 10, awarding players game tickets, team merchandise and $25 in Florida Lottery Scratch-Off tickets. Additionally, a grand prize drawing will be held for each of the eight teams on Dec. 1, from entries received from August 29 through midnight on November 30, 2011. Winners in the first four drawings are not eligible for the grand prize drawings. The grand prize drawings will award four winners from each school a variety of prizes including $10,000 in cash, a bowl game trip for two, season football tickets, team merchandise and Lottery Scratch-Off tickets.
Yamil Bravo, 50, of Wellington, claimed the October 14 Mega Money jackpot of $1 million at Florida Lottery headquarters.
Bravo said he routinely plays Lottery games and was so excited when he discovered he had won that he couldn’t stop shaking. In the days between winning the jackpot and traveling to Tallahassee to claim his prize, Bravo told lottery officials he hid the winning ticket in different places around his house.
“I kept checking to make sure it was still there,” Bravo told them. “Then later, I would move it to another spot.”
Bravo chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $789,029.50. He purchased his winning Quick Pick ticket at JVK Enterprises, located at 192 S. State Road 7 in West Palm Beach.
Some people have all the luck -- and one of them is Jose Esparza.
Esparza, 32, of Vero Beach, claimed a $1 million prize in the Florida Lottery's Billion Dollar Blockbuster scratch-off game today, marking his second win in the game. He also hit for $10,000 last December. But it's not a cheap game: Tickets are $20.
Esparza chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $650,000. The ticket was purchased at BP Ramona Boulevard in Jacksonville.
The game launched on Feb. 24, 2009, and includes more than $1 billion in prizes, including 10 top prizes of $10 million. Six of 10 top prizes still remain. To date, the game has awarded more than $339.8 million in prizes.
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Another rollover for Powerball and the Florida Lottery, but a big Fantasy 5 win at a Fort Lauderdale Publix Saturday night that's the second big score in recent months.
The Powerball numbers: 5-10-24-38-43 with a Powerball of 1. It'll be $124 million Wednesday, so it's starting to get interesting.
Florida Lotto: 3-9-36-41-42-44. It's $15 million on Wednesday.
Fantasy 5 was 3-4-6-15-26 with two winners, a Quick Pick at Publix, 617 U.S. Hwy., 17-92 in Haines City and another at 3400 N. Federal Highway.
The payout: $133,289.92.
On July 8, the same Publix paid out more than $200,000 in Fantasy 5.
They don't get the headlines of Florida Lotto or Powerball, but the quiet engine behind the Florida Lottery set a September record for sales.
The state sold $186 million worth of scratch-off tickets, beating its 2007 record of $173 million by 7.8 percent.
"We remain focused on offering an entertaining product that ultimately benefits education programs throughout Florida," said Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell.
Just some perspective here: In South Florida last year, Powerball and Florida Lotto tickets averaged about $11 million in sales each month for Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties combined. (When Powerball has a high jackpot, its sales zoom; otherwise, Florida Lotto runs slightly ahead.)
But scratch-off tickets averaged $40 million per month in South Florida -- giving people that instant gratification that you don't get if you have to wait for a Wednesday or a Saturday night drawing. It's that quick-fix aspect that concerns the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling.
The Florida Lottery offers more than 40 scratch-off games at any given time through instant ticket vending machines or on-counter displays at 13,200 retailers statewide. Statewide, scratch-off games make up approximately 56 percent of ticket sales.
Floridians purchase nearly $4 billion in Lottery products per year, the state says.
Another rollover for Powerball and the Florida Lottery, but Fantasy 5 yielded a winner in Boynton Beach Wednesday night.
The Powerball numbers: 7-20-43-46-54, with a Powerball of 17. The rollover pushes Wednesday's jackpot to about $71 million.
Florida Lotto was: 24-26-28-29-42-50. It'll be $10 million Wednesday.
Fantasy 5 was 01-14-16-27-32 and produced winners at Bravo Supermarket, 10400 NW Seventh Ave., Miami and Lawrence Food Market, 8890 Lawrence Road, Boynton Beach.
As our Craig Davis reports, The Dolphins have yet to produce a winner on the field, but they are joining with the Florida Lottery to give fans a chance to cash in on a new game being offered in South Florida.
The Dolphins Fin-tastic Fantasy 5 game, which runs through Dec. 6, those purchasing a Fantasy 5 ticket of $5 or more at certain retailers get a voucher with a serial number that can be entered on the Florida Lottery’s website for a chance to win Dolphins experiential prizes, including season tickets and a 2012 Ford Fiesta.
Five Dolphins Fin-tastic Fantasy 5 Football drawings will be held from Oct. 12 to Dec. 7, from vouchers entered the night before each drawing. In each of the five drawings, two players will win tickets to the Dolphins-Jets regular-season finale on Jan.1, where they will have the chance during halftime to win cash prizes of up to $2,500 or a Ford Fiesta.
Another rollover for Powerball and the Florida Lottery, but Fantasy 5 yielded a winner in Tamarac Saturday night.
The Powerball numbers: 1-12-23-27-43, with a Powerball of 31. The rollover pushes Wednesday's jackpot to about $58 million.
Florida Lotto was: 6-9-16-24-31-42. It'll be $8 million Wednesday.
Fantasy 5 was: 5-9-15-21-30 and produced six winners:
Pilot Travel Center, 6050 Plaza Dr., Fort Myers - QP
Publix, 891 Homestead Blvd., Homestead - QP
Winn Dixie, 12500 Lake Underhill Rd., Orlando – QP (Free Ticket)
Welcome Food Mart, 224 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine
Food Max, 37006 Locke St., Dade City
Publix, 5881 University Dr., Tamarac
It took him awhile, but Rubin Johnson, 65, of Fort Pierce, claimed the $10 million Lotto jackpot from the drawing held on Sept. 7.
Johnson was out of town when the drawing took place and forgot to check his tickets. lottery officials said.
But then Johnson went by the store where he usually purchases Lottery tickets and noticed a sign on the door that read, “Jackpot Winning-Ticket Sold Here."
“As soon as I walked in I overheard someone say the winner was a regular, but I never thought it was going to be me,” he told Lottery officials.
Johnson chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option of $6,698,289.98. He purchased his winning ticket at Tiki Shell, 6315 N. U.S. Highway 1 in Fort Pierce.
The numbers were 21-26-32-35-39-44.
Meanwhile, Janet Thorne, 61, trustee of Thomas J. Wright Dock Crew Trust, claimed a share of the $40 million Lotto jackpot from the drawing held on Aug. 17. The other jackpot-winning ticket from this drawing was claimed by The Bubba Living Trust.
The Thomas J. Wright Dock Crew Trust chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option for $12,929,733.35. The jackpot-winning ticket was a free ticket won by matching two winning numbers on a previous drawing. The free Quick Pick ticket was generated at Publix, located at 13435 U.S. Highway 1 in Sebastian.
A Coral Springs woman who has played the same numbers for 13 years stepped forward today to claim a $4 million Florida Lotto jackpot.
Candice Bream, 41, claimed the jackpot from the drawing held on Sept. 14.
“I knew if I changed my numbers they would come up, so I just stuck with them,” Bream told lottery officials. Bream and her husband plan to invest the winnings and "take the honeymoon we never had."
Bream chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option of $2,674,800. She purchased her winning ticket at Publix, located at 7230 W. Atlantic Blvd. in Margate.
The winning numbers were: 6-9-18-20-41-45. She couldn't be reached to explain if there's significance to them, but Lottery officials said she told them they were random numbers.
Arnoldo Cano, 48, of North Miami, claimed the $2 million Mega Money jackpot from the Sept. 9 drawing.
The winning numbers were 08-11-15-24 and the Megaball was 18.
Cano chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,592,935. He purchased his jackpot-winning ticket at L & R Grocery, located at 2435 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami.
It was a rollover for Powerball and the Florida Lotto, but a Fantasy 5 ticket sold in Miami-Dade County was among the three winners.
Powerball numbers: 06-20-22-32-43, with a Powerball of 11.
Florida Lotto: 01-03-04-12-15-33.
Fantasy 5: 04-13-14-19-25. Winners were at Publix, 3972 Town Center Blvd., Orlando (quick pick), Kmart, 900 North Miami Beach Blvd., North Miami Beach; and M & M Market #2, 3210 Transmitter Road, Panama City (quick pick).
There was one $4 million Florida Lotto winner Wednesday night, and the winning ticket was sold in Margate.
The winning numbers were: 6-9-18-20-41-45 and it was sold at the Publix at 7230 W. Atlantic Blvd., Margate.
It was yet another rare double -- only the third of the year -- for the big lotteries Wednesday night as Powerball also produced a winner, for $25 million. The winning ticket was sold in Georgia. The numbers were: 16-41-42-50-59, with a Powerball of 5.
(Much more local this time than Sept. 7, but also lower jackpots. On that day the Powerball loot was $107 million, with the winner sold in Maryland, and Florida Lotto was $10 million, sold in Fort Pierce.)
Meanwhile, four Fantasy 5 winners Wednesday, from:
Sunshine, 1930 Opa Locka Boulevard, Opa Locka
Springs Beverage, 7808 W. Sample Road, Margate – QP
Publix, 1500 Douglas Road, Coral Gables – QP
America Latina Market, 3700 S.W. Davie Road, Davie
When the going gets tough, people apparently reach for ... lottery tickets.
Twenty-eight of the 41 states that offer lotteries reported increased ticket sales for fiscal years that ended June 30, and experts say that a disproportionate number of ticket buyers are down-on-their luck adults hoping lightning will strike -- so they can live the dream.
Florida's sales went up about $24 million, about a 2.8 percent increase over 2009-2010, lottery officials say.
Garrick Blalock, associate professor of economics at Cornell, co-authored a 2004 study that showed people with annual incomes of $30,000 or below play the lottery disproportionately, but don't spend their money on similar small discretionary purchases, such as movie tickets.
"Lottery sales go up as the poverty rate rises, but people don't spend more on other relatively inexpensive forms of entertainment," he said.
Ben Tobias, a financial planner in Plantation, notes that his wealthiest clients rarely say they've played.
"We joke with clients to play for the fun of it, but it should never be part of the the plan," sais Tobias, who calls himself a "wealth manager." "The idea of poeple who are really struggling putting more money into the lottery or any kind of gambling is a shame, because how rarely does it really work?"
He talks of one client who hit five of six Lotto numbers -- enough for a nice payout, but not a life-changing event.
"After that, he turned very, very bitter," Tobias said.
Kate Sweeny, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside, said lottery sales increase "when people feel a lack of control over events larger than themselves."
"They may not have control over the job market, or over the outcome of a particular interview or application, but at least they can pay a small investment in a chance at a financial windfall," she said.
But it's kind of worth a buck to take that shot down field -- to throw up a Hail Mary.
"Given the absolute improbability of winning, it does have a whiff of desperation - but maybe it's better than not taking the chance at all," she said. "They get the rush of anticipation when they scratch off the card or wait for the numbers to be called."
Quite the double for Powerball and the Florida Lotto Wednesday night -- for only the second time this year both lotteries had jackpot winners.
The Powerball loot is $107 million, and the numbers were: 3-5-18-27-54, with a Powerball of 13. The winning ticket was sold in Maryland.
Florida Lotto has a $10 million winner at Tiki Shell, 6315 North U.S. Highway 1, Fort Pierce. The numbers were: 21-26-32-35-39-44 (four numbers over 31, so I guess that punctures a hole in my thinking that high numbers don't yield a winner because so many people play birthdays).
It's the first double-win since Jan. 22, when Powerball paid off $122 million and the Florida Lotto paid $21 million.
Meanwhile, Fantasy 5 hit twice, for $117,294.85, at Publix, 8701 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa and at Flagler Dog Track, 401 NW 38th Court, Miami, the venue also known as the Magic City Casino.
Usually lottery winners in South Florida have a few years on them, but not this time: A 22-year-old Miami woman has claimed a $2 million Mega Money jackpot.
Carmen L. Baker chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,552,487 from the Aug. 16 drawing. She purchased her Quick Pick ticket at Doral Shell, located at 7900 NW 36th St. in Miami. The retailer received a bonus incentive of $1,000 for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.\
The winning numbers were 05-08-30-44 and the Megaball was 16.
So Fantasy 5 belongs solely to South Florida this morning, with a winning ticket sold in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade county.
The winning numbers were: 13-15-17-28-34 , and it paid $66,348.57.
The locations: Publix, 4703 N. Ocean Drive, Lauderdale By The Sea (a quick pick), El Fuerte Supermarket, 2420 E. Eighth Ave., Hialeah; and Publix, 7060 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton (also a quick pick).
Meanwhile, Powerball is up to $54 million and Florida Lotto is at $7 million for tonight's drawing.
Rollovers again for Powerball and the Florida Lotto Saturday night, but there's one Fantasy 5 winner -- which means a nice payout.
The Powerball numbers: 02-12-25-54-58, with a Powerball of 14. It rolls over to $75 million for Wednesday night's drawing.
Florida Lotto numbers were: 09-15-17-18-26-28. It'll be $7 million Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Fantasy 5 was 03-05-06-27-30 and someone bought a quick pick at Little Havana Market, 1470-1474 SW Sixth St,, Miami. That'll bring a jackpot.
The highest Florida Lotto jackpot of the year hit Wednesday night, but it was nowhere near South Florida.
The Florida Lotto numbers were: 1-8-15-44-46-47 and it paid $40 million, split between tickets sold at Publix, 13435, U.S. 1 in Sebastian (quick pick) and Weedman Grocery, 4925 SR 13 N., St. Augustine.
The Powerball was a rollover, and the numbers were: 18-28-31-48-52, with a Powerball of 37.
Eighteen employees at an Ottawa manufacturing plant -- including 10 who got layoff notices on Wednesday -- won a $7 million lottery prize the evening after their company announced massive layoffs.
The company, called SMART technologies in Calgary, had announced it was moving operations to Mexico, so about 200 positions were being cut, according to CBC News.
The workers will get about $400,000 each.
Meanwhile, the Florida Lotto will be at $40 million for Wednesday's drawing.
The $228.9 million Powerball winner didn't take much time being anonymous. But he did take some time checking his ticket.
He's Thomas Morris, of Burnsville, Minn., who held a news conference at 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday. Here's what we know about him, courtesy of Minnesota lottery officials:
They said Morris normally buys three Powerball tickets in a single purchase, but on Aug. 10 he bought five tickets for that night’s drawing.
“It wasn’t my normal pattern,” the Burnsville resident said. As the clerk handed him the ticket, Morris told him, “You don’t need to sell any more tickets — I have the winning one.”
Morris “folded it [the ticket], put it in my pocket and forgot about it.” He then drove to Indiana for a job assignment.
On Thursday, Morris’ wife, Kathleen, was busy at home when she heard the winning Powerball numbers announced on the TV. “I thought, ‘We wouldn’t have played those numbers; they have no significance to us.”
But as they were watching the evening news on Thursday, they heard that the winning Powerball ticket was sold in Dakota County.
Kathleen said to Thomas, “It’s too bad we didn’t have a ticket.” Thomas told her that he did buy some. They checked the tickets together and found they had the winning one worth $228.9 million.
Actually, the whole thing started on Monday, said Kathleen Thomas.
“We met with our financial adviser and things didn’t look very promising," she said. "I told Tom the only way we’re going to retire is if we win the lottery.”
The winning Powerball numbers were 11-18-36-41-46 and the Powerball was 38. The Morrises have 60 days to choose the annuity payment of $228.9 million or the cash option of $123.6 million ($83.7 million after tax withholding).
Meanwhile, the Florida Lottery is at $38 million going into Saturday night's drawing. Check back here at Sun-Sentinel.com/action for the numbers, and give me a quote if you're the winner.
Powerball officials said one person in Minnesota bought a ticket that's worth $228.9 million from Wednesday night's drawing. The numbers: 11-18-36-41-46, with a Powerball of 38.
The winning ticket was sold in Dakota County, according to a release from the Minnesota State Lottery. The ticket was sold in Dakota County, and is the largest jackpot ever won in Minnesota. But it's Minnesota’s 21st Powerball jackpot winner since Powerball began in 1992, and the first jackpot winner since May 3, 2008.
The Florida Lotto numbers drawn Wednesday night: 8-36-46-47-48-52. The jackpot grows to $38 million for Saturday night's drawing. It hasn’t hit since May 28, when a Hollywood man won $35 million.
Powerball was officially listed at $220 million during the day Wednesday but late sales hiked that to $228.9 million by the time balls were pulled out Wednesday night (anybody in a Publix on Wednesday could see the lines of people buying tickets).
I play only a little bit of the lotteries, so I'd like to hear from the steady players: Now that Powerball's run-up is over, are you switching over to buy Florida Lotto tickets?
There’s big money out there, the biggest paydays of the year for both Powerball and Florida Lotto.
A Florida Lotto payout of $37 million is for grabs in tonight's drawing. It hasn’t hit since May 28, when a Hollywood man won $35 million.
Meanwhile, Powerball is officially listed at $220 million but that's based on current ticket sales. Last-minute buys are expected to make the jackpot soar past the earlier high of $221 million won on April. 6.
Winners can take the advertised jackpot amount in 30 annual installments, or a one-time, lump-sum cash option that's between half and two-third of the advertised haul. But to get the cash option, jackpot prizes must be claimed within the first 60 days after the winning draw.
The drawings are during the 11 p.m. newscast on WPLG-Ch. 10 (check out Kristi Krueger's joke at the end of today's coverage) or at flalottery.com. Check back here either late tonight or Thursday morning to see if anyone hit or get SMS text alerts via Sun-Sentinel.com/alerts.
She barely beat the deadline, but the $900,000 prize is still hers.
Saint H. Pierre, 30, of Fort Lauderdale, claimed a $900,000 Mega Money jackpot from the Florida Lottery last week. That's not so unusual, but this part is: It was from the Feb. 4 Mega Money drawing, just days before her ticket was about the expire.
Lottery officials report that Pierre's relatives saw news about the expiring ticket, and noticed that the numbers were those that she often plays. (I tried to confirm she got the news via the Action blog, but I have not been able to reache Pierre.)
Anyway, the winning numbers were 11-22-30-44 and the Megaball was 11.
Pierre will receive her winnings in 20 annual payments of $45,000. She purchased her ticket at 7-Eleven, located at 3800 N. Andrews Ave. in Oakland Park.
The Lottery officials got the inteview with Pierre, and they say she said she was traveling extensively around the time of the drawing and just forgot about the ticket. “I play kind of regularly and usually check a bunch of tickets at one time, but I have been so busy I just forgot. It never crossed my mind that I could be the winner,” she said. Pierre finally decided to check her tickets, after a family member mentioned to her that the numbers on the expiring ticket looked like ones she had played before.
Only one Fantasy 5 winner Sunday night, which makes for a pretty big score: In this case, it's $172,551.89.
The winning ticket was sold at Wilton Discount Liquor, 2105 NE Fifth Ave., Wilton Manors.
The winning numbers: 04-20-26-29-34. It's the second day in a row Fantasy 5 has done well down here. Saturday night's drawing produced six South Florida winners, each taking home more than $29K.
Meanwhile, the numbers continue to grow in Powerball and the Florida Lotto, as Saturday night was another drawing with no jackpot winners.
The Powerball jackpot will be at about $220 million Wednesday and Florida Lotto at $37 million.
The numbers continue to grow in Powerball and the Florida Lotto, as Saturday night was another drawing with no jackpot winners.
But six of the nine Fantasy 5 winners came from South Florida. Each won $29,933.25.
The Powerball numbers were: 25-30-54-57-59, with a Powerball of 6. The jackpot will be at about $220 million Wednesday.
Florida Lotto: 15-27-30-36-43-44; it's now at $35 million for Wednesday
Meanwhile, Fantasy 5 hit nine times, including in Sunrise and my Publix in Plantation. The numbers were: 3-10-15-27-35. It hit at Publix, 12500 W. Sunrise Blvd., Sunrise; Publix, 10065 Cleary Blvd., Plantation; Publix, 6790 Forest Hills Boulevard, Greenacres; and three spots in Miami: LX Liquors, 12258 SW 8th Street, Miami; Winn Dixie, 14555 S.W. 42nd Street, Miami; Sunshine #125, 11698 S.W. 152nd Street, Miami. It also hit in Forest City, Jacksonville and Lake Mary.
The Florida Lottery’s newest scratch-off games, Money Maker, Cherry Twist and Cash Frenzy, go on sale today.
The new games range in price from $1 to $5, and feature seven million winning tickets worth $46 million in prizes. All Lottery retailers are expected to have the new games in stock and available for purchase within 48 hours, Florida Lottery officials say.
The $5 Scratch-Off game, Money Maker, has six top prizes of $250,000. The $2 Scratch-Off game, Cherry Twist, has 10 top prizes of $30,000. The $1 Scratch-Off game, Cash Frenzy, has 64 top prizes of $5,000.
The Florida Lottery offers about 40 scratch-off games at any given time through instant ticket vending machines or on-counter displays at more than 13,000 retailers statewide. Scratch-Off games make approximately 56 percent of ticket sales.
The Florida Lottery will be visiting Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday as part of a statewide promotional tour to "generate excitement" for the Lottery’s new Monopoly Scratch-Off games.
At the event, consumers who purchase $10 or more in Monopoly Scratch-Off tickets will qualify for a chance to play Monopoly on a life-sized game board where they will roll giant dice to move around the board for the opportunity to win prizes.
It happens near Marshalls at the mall. (Click link for mall info.)
Additionally, the Florida Lottery will hold a drawing for more than $650 in prizes, including scratch-off tickets, a beach towel, tote bag, $100 Simon Mall gift card and a Monopoly Wii game.
To register, players must purchase $10 or more in Monopoly Scratch-Off tickets to receive an entry form for the drawing, which will be held at the end of the event.
The Florida Lottery introduced its first Monpoly themed Scratch-Off game 15 years ago with the launch of $2 Instant Monopoly. The game performed so well that additional price points were added to form the Lottery’s most successful and sustaining “family of games.” Today, the Florida Lottery offers five Monopoly Scratch-Off games ranging from $1 to $20. Monopoly game sales have totaled more than $3 billion, the Lottery says.
James W. Crocker Jr., 45, of Coral Springs, claimed a $1 million prize in the "$200 Million Spectacular" Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
Crocker chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option of $738,869.50, rather than a $1 million annuity. He purchased his winning ticket at Hess Mart, located at 2290 Coral Springs Drive in Coral Springs.
According to Crocker, he decided to redeem a few winning tickets he had in his car while out running errands. “I initially wanted to buy the new $10 Monopoly Scratch-Off game, but the store clerk said they were sold out, so I decided to buy this one instead,” Crocker said. Crocker plans to use his new winnings to set up a college fund for his daughter and pay bills.
The $10 Scratch-Off game launched December 30, 2008, and offers more than $220 million in prizes. The game has eight $1 million top prizes remaining. The overall odds of winning are one in 3.58.
The Florida Lottery offers approximately 40 Scratch-Off games at any given time through instant ticket vending machines or on-counter displays at more than 13,000 retailers statewide.
A Mega Money jackpot-winning ticket sold in Oakland Park worth $900,000 remains unclaimed and the 180-day limit to cash it in expires at midnight Aug. 3.
The numbers were drawn on Feb. 4 and were: 11-22-30-44, with a Megaball of 11.
The winning ticket was sold at 7-Eleven, located at 3800 N. Andrews Avenue in Oakland Park.
While any Florida Lottery retailer can validate the winning ticket, the jackpot must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. Players may obtain additional information by calling the Lottery’s Customer Service Department at 850-487-7787 or visiting the Florida Lottery’s website at flalottery.com.
Mega Money is a $1 jackpot game drawn twice weekly, in which players win the jackpot by matching 4 of 4 winning numbers and the Megaball. The game offers jackpots starting at $500,000, with rollovers of up to $2 million if no one matches the four winning numbers plus the Megaball. Once the jackpot reaches $2 million, the jackpot rolls down, increasing the payouts on all of the lower-tier prizes.
William M. Miller, 80, of Miami, claimed the $2 million Mega Money jackpot from the July 15 drawing. The winning numbers were 12-26-40-43 and the Megaball was 15.
Not surprisingly, Miller chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,475,677.
He purchased his jackpot-winning ticket at Market 54, located at 353 NE 54th St. in Miami. The retailer received a bonus incentive of $1,000 for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
Meanwhile, Powerball rolled over again Wednesday night, driving the jackpot to an estimated $92 million. The numbers: 01-04-38-40-42 with a Powerball of 17.
Florida Lotto was a blank, too, going to $28 million for Saturday night numbers. You should've picked: 05-08-12-18-31-36.
Fantasy 5 hit four times, including at Mega Discount Mart, 8700 SW 137th Ave., Miami.
A 66-year-old Hollywood retiree's secret came out Monday, when the Florida Lottery announced he has come forward to claim a $35 million Florida Lotto jackpot.
Paul Hemphill, who moved here from Ohio about 10 years ago, bought a ticket for the May 28 drawing at Hollywood Food Mart, located at 815 S. 21st Ave. in Hollywood.
"I told only my best friend and my daughter the first month," he said. "I just walked around with a smile on my face."
But he also got with a lawyer and set up a trust. He'll use the $20.5 million lump-sum payment to eventually care for his two children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. But that money will come later. He still wants them to be productive members of society, learn to work for a living and not get spoiled.
"I don't want a situation where they're not going to have to do anything," he said. "But it makes me happy to know that I can provide for my grandkids and future generations."
Hemphill, who is divorced, said he grew up in Mississippi, moved to Ohio, then moved to South Florida. He declined to say what he used to do for a living or be photographed. (I can't say I blame him).
Hemphill said he has been playing Florida Lotto since the game’s inception in 1988. Though he always selects his own numbers, he does not play the same numbers every drawing.
Another big payout in Broward County: A Fantasy 5 ticket sold in Coral Springs is worth $101,078.29 .
The Fantasy 5 numbers drawn Thursday night were 18-25-29-30-33.
Two winners were sold, one at University Gas, 4550 N. University Drive, Coral Springs, and a Quick Pick at Navarro Discount Pharmacies, 1243 SW Eighth St., Miami.
Abdelouhab Jabri, 56, of Miami Beach, claimed a $1 million top prize in the Cash Bonanza Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
Jabri chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $650,000. He purchased his winning Scratch-Off ticket at PW Auto Service, located at 337 71st St. in Miami Beach.
The $10 Scratch-Off game, Cash Bonanza, launched on April 13, 2010, and includes more than $88 million in prizes.
The Florida Lottery offers more than 40 Scratch-Off games at any given time through instant ticket vending machines or on-counter displays at more than 13,000 retailers statewide. Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, making up approximately 53 percent of ticket sales.
Powerball and the Florida Lotto both produced rollovers Wednesday night, but Fantasy 5 hit three times in Miami-Dade County.
The Powerball number: 11-15-24-50-55, with a Powerball of 8. It'll be $36 million for Saturday night's drawing.
Florida Lotto: 3-4-6-39-48-52. It's $21 million Saturday.
Fantasy 5:15-16-24-30-36. Five winners were sold, including at 17th Avenue Marathon, 2353 NW 17th Ave. in Miami; Hess, 955 East 49th Street, Hialeah; and La Esquina Tropical, 1060 SW Eighth Street, Miami. Each ticket was worth $45,733.80.
Get SMS text alerts of the winning numbers send the keyword LOTTO to 23539.
The Powerball jackpot is getting bigger and there'll be better odds -- but the tickets are getting more expensive.
Effective Jan. 15, a Powerball jackpot ticket will cost $2, according to the Florida Lottery, which is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association. (Powerball, which came to Florida in January 2009, is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)
But the starting jackpot will become $40 million, up from the current $20 million.
Lottery officials also announced an increased second prize of $1 million for players who match all five numbers (the white balls) but don't hit the Powerball. Right now, it's $200,000.
In the newly designed game, players will still choose their first five numbers from a pool of 59, but the Powerball pool will shrink from 39 to 35. In case you're wondering, that reduces the odds of winning the grand prize from about 1 in 195 million to about 1 in 175 million. So plan your retirement accordingly...
The game will also include an increase in the lowest prize level (for those who match just the Powerball) from $3 to $4. (But when you think about it, that's getting $4 for a $2 bet instead of $3 for a $1 bet...)
The Power Play add-on feature will remain at $1 per play, but players will be able to win up to $2 million instead of $1 million. Also, instead of using a randomly selected multiplier that changes with every drawing, Power Play prizes will remain constant from drawing to drawing, letting players know exactly what they can win in advance.
Powerball launched in 15 states in 1992 with a guaranteed starting jackpot of $2 million.
As I've written before, the Lottery is not a great game if you're strictly about math. The state keeps 50 percent of the money paid in (it goes toward education), compared to horse tracks, dog tracks and jai-alai frontons keeping only 20 percent, South Florida slots 8 percent and video poker about 1 percent with optimum play.
But if you're about the dream, hey I understand. And, FYI, Florida has the strongest Powerball sales of any U.S. lottery, with $402 million generated during calendar year 2010. Since Powerball launched in Florida four Florida Lottery players have won a jackpot, and the total number of Florida winners leads the nation, lottery officials said. That includes 27 players who have won $1 million each for matching the white balls with Power Play, and 140 players who have won $200,000 for matching the white balls without Power Play.
To use your phone for the one time your numbers do hit, you can check SMS text alerts of the winning numbers by sending the keyword LOTTO to 23539.
Silvia Debora, 59, of Miami Gardens, claimed a $1 million top prize in The Color of Money Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
Debora chose the one-time, lump-sum payment option of $700,000. She purchased her winning ticket at 99 Cents Plus Store, 4683 N. 199th St. in Carol City.
The $10 Scratch-Off game, The Color of Money, launched on March 8, 2011, and includes more than $37 million in total prizes. Two of the six top prizes remain in the game. The overall odds of winning are one in 3.38.
The Florida Lottery offers more than 40 Scratch-Off games at any given time through instant ticket vending machines or on-counter displays at more than 13,000 retailers statewide.
A Fantasy 5 lottery ticket sold in Plantation, worth $92,688.55, remains unclaimed, and the 180-day limit to claim the top prize expires at midnight June 29.
The winning numbers for the Dec. 31, 2010, drawing were: 07-12-24-31-35.
The winning ticket was sold at Publix, located at 225 S. Flamingo Road in Plantation. It's a little more mysterious because the ticket was not a Quick Pick -- meaning it's not like someone walked in, put down a buck and forgot about the meaningless numbers. They had to pick these specific numbers, and people usually do that for a reason (like birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)
While any Florida Lottery retailer can validate the winning ticket, the jackpot must be claimed at a Florida Lottery district office or at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
Players may obtain additional information by calling the Lottery’s Customer Service Department at 850487-7787 or visiting the Florida Lottery’s website at www.flalottery.com.
Powerball and Florida Lotto were rollovers Wednesday night, but Fantasy 5 hit five times -- including in Deerfield Beach -- each paying out 45,720.28.
The Fantasy 5 numbers were: 1-7-11-12-17. One winning ticket was sold at Publix, 1337 South Military Trail, Deerfield Beach It also hit in Fort Myers, Miami, Inglis and Crestview.
The Powerball numbers were: 19-20-38-41-43, with a Powerball of 29. It'll be $36 million Saturday night.
The Florida Lotto numbers were: 15-36-42-46-48-53. It'll be $10 million Saturday.
Get SMS text alerts of the winning numbers send the keyword LOTTO to 23539.
Powerball and Florida Lotto both had rollover Saturday night, while Fantasy 5 produced three winners.
The Powerball numbers were: 16-18-27-36-50 with a Powerball of 8. The next jackpot will be $25 million.
Florida Lotto: 4-10-27-41-52-53. The next jackpot will be $9 million.
Fantasy 5 numbers were 7-8-15-22-36. Winning tickets were sold at Publix, 10201 Hammocks Boulevard, Miami and in Tampa and Lake Wales and the payout was $87,561.36.
Get SMS text alerts of the winning numbers send the keyword LOTTO to 23539.
Erma Newbold, 71, of West Park, claimed a $1 million prize in the Billion Dollar Blockbuster Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery headquarters.
Newbold chose the one-time, lump-sum payment of $650,000. The winning ticket was purchased from Racetrac, located at 3996 Pembroke Road in Pembroke Park, lottery officials said.
This marks the 36th winner to claim a $1 million prize in the popular Scratch-Off game; 84 $1 million prizes remain.
The $20 scratch-off game offers the highest cash payout of any game in Florida Lottery history, the Lottery says (by my math,
