NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — A Sarasota County woman turned $50 into $1 million after she purchased a lucky scratch-off ticket.
The Florida Lottery announced that 67-year-old Gail Riola, of North Port, won a $1 million prize playing the 500X THE CASH game. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000.
Riola purchased the $50 ticket from RaceTrac, located at 18999 Tamiami Trail in North Port. That retailer will get a $2,000 bonus commission for the sale.
The 500X THE CASH lottery ticket features more than $1.66 billion in cash prizes and a top prize of $25 million— the largest offered in Florida scratch-off games.
Since its inception, scratch-off games have generated more than $64.3 billion in prizes and $19.5 billion for Florida's Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.