Florida man wins $15M from scratcher purchased from a Wawa | EUROtoday

It has been revealed {that a} Florida man stopped at a fuel station and have become a millionaire after buying a profitable $15 million scratch-off ticket in October final yr.

The Florida lottery introduced Wednesday that John Eichinger Jr. purchased the $15,000,000 Gold Rush Multiplier ticket, price $30, from a Wawa at 1031 Dunlawton Avenue in Port Orange, simply north of Orlando.

Officials mentioned the 53-year-old Volusia County native, who claimed the ticket in October final yr, visited the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to gather his winnings.

Eichinger opted for a one-time, lump-sum payout of $8,968,000 relatively than annual funds over 30 years. The retailer additionally acquired $30,000 for promoting the profitable ticket. Eichinger has but to talk publicly about his winnings.

He was the primary particular person to redeem one in every of 4 $15 million scratch-offs, in keeping with the Florida Lottery web site. Two of the highest prize Gold Rush Multiplier scratch-offs stay.

The odds of profitable the jackpot had been virtually one in 5.5 million.

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According to lottery officers, one other profitable $15,000,000 Gold Rush Multiplier scratch-off was bought at a Publix in Gainesville in January.

The winner, from Winter Park, had been marked down as an “exempt pursuant.” Unless in any other case waived, the names of lottery winners of $250,000 or better stay nameless for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed.

Three different Florida residents have claimed the $1,000,000 Gold Rush Multiplier scratch-off prize.

Lottery officers mentioned Mykel Lane, 37, from Boca Raton, claimed a ticket after buying it from a neighborhood 7-Eleven in November. They added that he gained the $1 million prize on the primary scratch.

Lane selected to obtain his winnings as a one-off fee of $597,700. The fuel station will even obtain a $2,000 bonus fee.

A Panama City and Gainesville resident, each at the moment marked as exempt pursuant, additionally claimed the $1 million ticket in January and March, respectively. They selected to obtain their winnings in money relatively than annual funds.

Neither of the 2 $25 million Gold Rush Multiplier scratch-offs had been claimed by Thursday morning.

Since its launch in September, Gold Rush Multiplier has provided almost $490 million in money prizes, with odds of 1-in-2.6.

According to lottery officers, the Florida Lottery’s scratch-off video games, which started in 1988, have awarded greater than $65.6 billion in prizes and generated virtually $20 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.