Sarasota Lotto Winner Claims $1 Million Prize

TALLAHASSEE – A 65-year-0ld Sarasota man got an early Valentine's Day present when he traded his $20 MONOPOLY JACKPOT Scratch-Off game ticket for a $1 million prize.

A representative of the Florida Lottery told Patch that Juan Garcia showed up at the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee to cash in his ticket.

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Garcia chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $715,000.00, Florida lottery officials announced on Tuesday.

He purchased his winning ticket from USA Mini Mart, located at 3621 South Tuttle Avenue in Sarasota. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $20 Scratch-Off game, MONOPOLY JACKPOT, launched in September 2018, and features more than $407.5 million in prizes, including six top prizes of $5 million. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.97.

Scratch-offs are an important part of the lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $871 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund during the 2017-18 fiscal year. Such sales account for 69 percent of ticket sales.

This is what $1 million looks like courtesy of the Florida Lottery