A quick stop at a LaBelle smoke shop turned into a seven-figure surprise for local resident Antonio Garcia Avila, who scratched a $5 ticket into a $1 million top prize and walked away with a $640,000 lump-sum payout. The 60‑year‑old filed his winning claim in late December at the Florida Lottery’s Fort Myers district office after buying the ticket at Patson Discount Tobacco and Smoke Shop on South Main Street in downtown LaBelle.
According to the Tampa Free Press, Avila visited the Fort Myers district office on Dec. 29 to claim the prize and chose the one-time cash option instead of an annuity. The outlet reports the winning slip set him back just $5.
Privacy rules and public records
Florida law lets some lottery winners keep a slightly lower profile, at least for a while. Privacy exemptions in Florida Statutes, Chapter 24, give the Lottery limited authority to withhold certain identifying information for a short period. That temporary blackout window helps explain why some December claims do not appear in public ledgers until weeks later.
Where the ticket was sold and what the game pays
The Florida Lottery's top‑prize ledger lists the winning ticket as sold at Patson Discount Tobacco and Smoke Shop, 216 S. Main Street (Unit 7‑8), LaBelle, and records a claim dated Dec. 31, 2025. The $5 BONUS LETTER CROSSWORD game advertises more than $76.6 million in total cash prizes, includes ten $1 million top prizes and counts more than 5.4 million winning tickets overall, with overall odds of about 1‑in‑4, according to the Lottery’s ledger (Florida Lottery).
Small ticket, big local moment
Big instant‑win payouts tend to spark short‑term buzz for the stores that sell them, and LaBelle's downtown smoke shop is likely to see some extra curious customers in the days ahead. The Tampa Free Press reports Avila opted for the $640,000 cash option when he claimed his prize, a move that tracks with many instant‑win winners who prefer immediate control over their winnings instead of an annuity paid out over time.
