LAKE CITY, Fla. (CBS12) — Talk about a blowout!
The Florida Lottery announced on Monday that Joseph Demaio, a 50-year-old Lake City resident, just turned a routine trip to the supermarket into a half-a-million-dollar payday thanks to the Florida Lottery’s $500,000 CASH BLOWOUT Scratch-Off game.
Demaio claimed his jaw-dropping prize at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on September 17, opting for the full lump-sum payout of $500,000. His lucky ticket was purchased at Tower Road Supermarket, located at 7114 W. University Avenue in Gainesville — proving that sometimes, your neighborhood store really is the jackpot hotspot.
Lottery officials said that the $500,000 CASH BLOWOUT game, which costs $50 to play, has 100 top prizes of $500,000 and over $1.01 billion in total cash prizes. The odds? A solid 1-in-4.08 — not bad for a shot at life-changing money!
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Scratch-Off games like this one are more than just fun — they’re a major part of the Florida Lottery’s success story. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, these games made up 74% of ticket sales, helping fund education across the state, according to the news release. Since their debut, Scratch-Offs have awarded over $66.9 billion in prizes, created 2,350 millionaires, and contributed more than $20.09 billion to Florida’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
So next time you’re grabbing groceries, maybe toss a Scratch-Off into your cart — you could be the next Joseph Demaio!
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