An Orlando resident is now a millionaire thanks to a scratch-off ticket from the Florida Lottery. Frieda Reyes Ortiz, 68, won a $1 million prize from a $20 scratch-off game named GOLD RUSH LIMITED. The winning ticket was purchased from the Circle K on 7530 Forest City Road, as reported by ClickOrlando.
Reyes Ortiz opted to receive her winnings as a lump-sum payment, leaving her with $795,000. The Circle K store where she bought the ticket is now notably richer by a $2,000 bonus commission, an incentive from lottery officials to encourage sales. According to the Florida Lottery news release covered by WFTV, scratch-off games comprised 74% of the ticket sales in the last fiscal year and played a significant role in the state's lottery success.
The GOLD RUSH LIMITED game presents odds of one-in-2.65, featuring not only $1 million prizes but also an impressive 32 top prizes of $5 million. It's part of a broader offering that includes over 33,000 smaller prizes ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. This array of prize opportunities contributes to a long legacy of big wins in the state, with the Florida Lottery creating more than 2,175 millionaires.
Lottery proceeds have long been directed to supporting educational initiatives in Florida. More than $46 billion has been contributed to enhancing education, and over 983,000 students have begun or continued their college education through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The funds from the scratch-off games are also significant, having generated over $19.24 billion for the Education Enhancement Trust Fund. Overall, since its inception in 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $95.7 billion in prizes, as detailed by WFTV's report.
