Sarasota And Manatee Residents Win Big Lotto Prizes

NORTH PORT, FL —A North Port man and a Bradenton woman are among the big winners in the Florida Lottery.

Lottery officials announced this week that 49--year-old Benjamin Evans of North Port claimed his $1 million prize from a $5 million Luck scratch-off game using a secured drop box at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $760,000, according to lottery officials.

Thirty-nine-year-old Haarati Reddy of Bradenton also won a $1 million prize on The Fastest Road to $1 million scratch-off game, according to lottery officials. She mailed in her winning ticket to Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

Lottery officials said Reddy also chose to receive her winnings as a one-time lump-sum payment of $790,000.

Evans purchased his winning ticket from the Publix at 1291 South Sumter Boulevard in North Port. The grocery store will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

Reddy purchased her winning ticket from the Sandra Express Mart at 7105 15th Avenue NW in Bradenton. Lottery officials said the store will also receive a $2,000 bonus.

The $20 — $5 million Luck game — features more than $329 million in cash prizes, including six top prizes of $5 million. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.97.

The $30 game — The Fastest Road To $1 million — offers 155 top prizes of $1 million and over $948 million in cash prizes. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.79.

Lottery officials said scratch-off games account for some 69 percent of ticket sales and generate more than $965 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.

Players who have winning tickets can submit their tickets via the Florida Lottery’s secured drop box located at each district office or they can mail tickets to Florida Lottery Headquarters or their nearest district office.

All claim deadlines have been extended, giving players the option to hold on to winning tickets and wait to claim any prizes until offices reopen to the public. For more information, visit www.flalottery.com/closures.