What started as a routine Walmart errand turned into the kind of story most people only daydream about. Lincoln Diaz, 68, walked away with a $25 million top prize after playing the Florida Lottery’s $25,000,000 Gold Rush Multiplier scratch-off, turning that quick shopping trip into a life-changing windfall.
Diaz traveled to the Florida Lottery’s headquarters in Tallahassee on January 12 to complete his claim and chose the one-time lump-sum payment of $15,960,000. According to the Tampa Free Press, he is a Miami resident and bought the lucky ticket at the Walmart located at 14720 S.W. 26th Street in Miami. The outlet also notes that he locked in the lump-sum option when he filed his paperwork in Tallahassee, adding another big win to the Gold Rush family of games that have been delivering hefty payouts across the state.
What the Gold Rush Multiplier pays
The Gold Rush Multiplier is a $50 scratch-off built for high-stakes hopefuls. It launched with two $25 million top prizes, sixty $1 million prizes and more than $1.2 billion in total cash awards, with overall odds running close to 1-in-4.09, according to the Florida Lottery. That mix of massive jackpots and a deep bench of midlevel prizes has turned the Gold Rush line into one of the Lottery’s most prominent offerings. Top prize winners like Diaz can either take the full advertised amount as an annuity over time or opt for a smaller one-time cash payout.
Scratch-offs bankroll schools
While stories like Diaz’s grab headlines, scratch-offs are also doing quieter work behind the scenes. They make up roughly 74 percent of ticket sales in the 2024–2025 fiscal year and have funneled more than $20.98 billion into the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund over time, according to Tampa Free Press reporting of state figures. That river of revenue is a key reason the Lottery points to tens of billions generated for education statewide, even as it continues to write outsized checks to lucky players. Diaz’s spur-of-the-moment Walmart stop is just one tiny sliver of that much bigger funding pipeline for Florida schools and scholarships.
Tax note for winners
Of course, the taxman does not sit these jackpots out. Winners who choose a lump-sum still have to navigate federal tax rules: payers frequently must issue Form W‑2G, and withholding and reporting requirements kick in for many big prizes, according to IRS guidance on gambling income. Large lottery wins are typically subject to federal withholding, and winners are urged to talk with a tax professional so they are not blindsided at filing time.
Diaz now joins a growing roster of Gold Rush winners who have made the trip to Tallahassee in recent months, and the Lottery’s district offices remain the official gatekeepers for validating and paying out substantial prizes. For anyone scratching tickets at the local store, the practical advice is straightforward: check every ticket carefully and, if you hit it big, be ready for paperwork, a tax bill and a trip to a Lottery claim office before the money is truly yours.
