In this special report we are joined by a mathematician to look at the best possible way to increase your odds of winning scratch off tickets

The Powerball Jackpot is up to $685 million with a cash option worth more than $344 million. The next drawing is on Wednesday at 10:59 p.m.

A $10,000 winning scratch-off ticket quickly turned into a headache for a local woman.

Florida Lottery winners are being turned away from collecting their winnings because of problems involving the Department of Economic Opportunity.

For the second week in a row, the Florida Lottery announced a winning Mega Millions ticket had been sold at a Jacksonville area Publix.

A 39-year-old Palm Coast man is quite a bit richer after claiming a $1 million prize in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game.

These days, playing games or seeing if you won doesn’t even require people to go to the store.

A single lottery ticket sold in Florida has won a $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot.

A 60-year-old Jacksonville man claimed a $1 million prize from the 500X THE CASH Scratch-Off game, lottery officials announced.

A 68-year-old Jacksonville man turned $50 into a $1 million prize when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Thursday.

A 28-year-old man from Jacksonville just joined the seven-figures club and all it took was a lucky lottery scratch-off ticket.

A 36-year-old Bunnell man claimed a $1 million prize from a Florida Lottery scratch-off game.

A 65-year-old man just turned $50 into a $1 million prize when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Tuesday.

A Jacksonville woman turned $50 into a $1 million prize when she bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Thursday.

A 31-year-old Jacksonville man turned $50 into a $1 million prize when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Monday.

Friday night’s Mega Millions Jackpot is flirting with $1 billion at $940 million. A portion of the money from the lottery goes to education.

The $50 game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.50.

A 53-year-old Jacksonville man claimed a $1,000-a-week-for-life prize from the draw game CASH4LIFE, the Florida Lottery announced Friday.

Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.

It’s the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.

A winning lottery ticket worth a share of a $494 million Mega Millions jackpot was purchased in a southwest Florida city hammered by Hurricane Ian late last month.

A 32-year-old Jacksonville man turned $50 into a $1 million prize when he bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, the Florida Lottery announced Monday.

In fiscal year 2021-22, scratch-off ticket sales generated more than $1.8 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).

A 44-year-old Jacksonville man claimed a $1 million prize from the 500X the Cash Scratch-Off game at the Lottery's Jacksonville District Office, the Florida Lottery announced Friday.

Leonard Linton, who a week ago took a $2 million top prize from a Florida Lottery scratch-off , credited his pregnant dog, Ivy, for stopping and purchasing the winning ticket.

How does a $260,000 annual salary over the next 25 years sound?

The Florida Lottery announced on Thursday that Gregory Wojciechowski, 62, was the GOLD RUSH LIMITED scratch-off winner of a $1 million dollar prize. He chose to claim his winnings as a one-time lump-sum payment, meaning he’s taking home $795,000 of the $1 million dollar prize won from the scratch-off ticket.

A 37-year-old Middleburg woman lucked out when she bought a $50 scratch-off lottery ticket in Jacksonville and won a $1 million prize.

A 39-year-old Jacksonville man is the latest to win a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket, claiming a $1 million prize from a $50 ticket.

People who win $250,000 or more in the Florida Lottery could choose to keep their identities secret for 90 days under a bill that the Senate sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday.

A 62-year-old Nassau County woman claimed a $1 million prize from the $5,000,000 Gold Rush Classic scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery announced Tuesday.

People who win $250,000 or more in the Florida Lottery might soon be able to choose to keep their identities secret for 90 days.

A 56-year-old man in Hilliard claimed a $1 million prize after playing the Powerball Draw game, according to a news release Monday from the Florida Lottery.

The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.

A 26-year-old Putnam County man claimed a $1 million prize from the $5,000,000 LUCK scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery announced Friday.

He purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket at Winn-Dixie, located at 6060-10 Fort Caroline Road in Jacksonville.

A 66-year-old Jacksonville man claimed a $1 million top prize from The Florida Lottery's Fastest Road to $1,000,000 Scratch-Off game.

The best part of the story: Todd originally thought she had won $100,000.

Having just had her flight canceled, a Missouri woman’s luck quickly changed when she won $1 million from a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket.

A Flagler County resident has claimed a $1 million top prize from “The Fastest Road To $1,000,000″ scratch-off game at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

The person who bought a $286 million winning Powerball ticket at a Circle K on the westside still hasn’t come forward to claim the prize.

The man who organized the drive for the Florida Lottery has died at the age of 100.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is nearly $1 million richer after buying a $20 scratch-off lotto ticket. The 36-year-old claimed his prize after playing the 200X The Cash scratch-off game and chose to claim his winnings with a one-time payment of $890,000, according to the Florida Lottery. The winning ticket was purchased from the RaceTrac location on Philips Highway just south of Interstate 295. The store will get a $2,000 bonus commission for selling a winning ticket. The $20 game launched last September and players can vie for the chance to win some of more than $446 million in prizes, which include 10 $5 million prizes.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 50-year-old man in Jacksonville just claimed the $1 million prize from the 200X THE CASH Scratch-Off game, The Florida Lottery announced on Friday. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump sum payment of $890,000. The man purchased his winning ticket from Publix, located at 7628-24 103rd Street in Jacksonville. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. The $20 game, 200X THE CASH, launched in September 2020 and features more than $446 million in cash prizes, including ten top prizes of $5 million!

The Mega Millions and Powerball are now at more than $400 million each -- and that’s only ever happened twice before. Her net worth is about 400 million, but you have to win both jackpots to be worth as much as Tiger Woods. The Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $447 million on Tuesday and the Powerball jackpot rolled to an estimated $410 million on Saturday. In terms of toilet paper... with $400 million you can buy more than 32 million 12-pack rolls. Chances of winning the mega millions?

Year of the scratch-off: More than half of winning tickets worth at least $600 claimed in 2020Published: November 16, 2020, 6:20 pmFor the past few months, News4Jax has been getting a steady stream of news releases from the Florida Lottery. Included in the list of winners are multiple people from Jacksonville, along with others from St. Johns and Flagler counties.

For the past few months, News4Jax has been getting a steady stream of news releases from the Florida Lottery. It’s unclear if the coronavirus pandemic has anything to do with this, but for the 2019-20 timeframe, more than half of the winning tickets worth $600 or more have been claimed in 2020, which isn’t even over yet. So we can either venture the guess that more people are buying tickets or waited until now to cash them in. In all of 2019, there were eight big winners like this. But this new game alone has led to seven of these big paydays in the first 8 ½ months of 2020 alone.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man nearly missed out on a $1 million windfall because he forgot about a lottery ticket he had purchased. The 38-year-old man told Florida lottery officials the $30 scratch-off ticket sat on his fireplace for weeks before he realized where it was. It’s a good thing he remembered — it turns out the ticket was a winner. “I came across the un-scratched ticket while cleaning the house; when I scratched it, I realized it was actually a $1 million winner!” the man said, according to the Florida Lottery. Because he bought the ticket from the Circle K on Monument Road, the store will receive a $2,000 commission.

Ron DeSantis on Monday named John Davis, the executive vice president of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, to fill the long-vacant position of secretary of the Florida Lottery. DeSantis pointed to Davis' public, private and educational experience in making the appointment, which requires Senate confirmation. In a news release from the governor’s office, Davis focused on the lottery’s ties to funding public education through ticket sales. “I look forward to furthering this mission at the Lottery and working with elected officials and our business partners to meet our education and sales goals.”Davis has been with the Orlando chamber since January 2018. Davis worked for the state Republican Party after being part of now-Congressman Charlie Crist’s successful 2006 gubernatorial run.

A Florida Lotto ticket now costs $2, up from $1, as the game was rebranded to include increased non-jackpot cash prizes. “While Florida Lotto is an established brand with a loyal player base, the game has had very few changes over its 30-plus year history,” Florida Lottery spokeswoman Keri Nucatola said in an email Wednesday. Since being launched in 1988, Lotto has generated more than $8 billion for education. Along with increasing non-jackpot prizes, the changes include offering free ticket prizes for matching two of six numbers, according to a news release from the lottery. The increased price, which went into effect last week, brings the cost of a Lotto ticket in line with the $2 tickets for multi-state games such as Powerball and Mega Millions.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man claimed the first $1 million prize from a new scratch-off game, Florida Lottery officials announced Thursday. The man purchased the winning ticket from Beach Boulevard Shell, located at 11330 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. He claimed the 200X THE CASH Scratch-Off game prize using a secured drop box located at the Jacksonville District Office. The $20 game, 200X THE CASH, launched in September and features more than $446 million in cash prizes, including ten top prizes of $5,000,000.

Sue Burgess told WFLA that officials in Tallahassee told her “no ticket, no prize." The second chance lottery prize gives winners limited time to turn in a ticket to claim the prize. Burgess told the television station she felt it would be safer to send the ticket via certified mail with the U.S. When Burgess called, lottery officials told her that without a ticket, the prize would go to an alternate winner. But for safety sake, certified mail usually has priority.”Lottery officials told WFLA the claim was never received at the headquarters.

A 36-year-old Jacksonville man became the second from the city this week to take home a $1 million prize in a $20 Florida Lottery scratch-off game. Chadi Barakat collected his winnings through a secured drop box at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $715,000. Barakat bought his winning ticket at the Pirates Food Store, at 96837 Blackrock Road in Yulee. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County woman came up with a winning ticket in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game and is now two million dollars wealthier. Debra Tice, 56, of Hastings, claimed a $2 million top prize from the 100X Scratch-Off game using a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,605,000.00. Tice purchased her winning ticket from Circle K, located at 4205 U.S. 1 South in Saint Augustine. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A St. Johns County woman came up with a winning ticket in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game and is now a million dollars wealthier. Brandee Schemer, 43, purchased a $20 ticket for the Gold Rush Classic game from the Speedway gas station on Roberts Road in St. Johns. Her winning ticket was good for $1 million. Gold Rush Classic allows players to win up to $5 million playing the scratch-off game. Speedway in St. Johns will receive a $2,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 69-year-old man who bought a $20 scratch-off ticket at a Publix on Beach Boulevard has claimed a $1 million prize, the Florida Lottery announced Wednesday. Jeffrey Parkin, of Jacksonville, used a secure drop box in at lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim the prize in the $5,000,000 Gold Rush Classic scratch-off game. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $710,000. The overall odds of winning are one-in-2.99. The grocery store on Beach at Kernan Road will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 31-year-old Jacksonville woman has claimed the top prize in the “Fastest Road to $1,000,000” scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery announced Tuesday. Shateya Anthony used a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee to claim her prize. The game, launched in February, features 155 top prizes of $1 million and over $948 million in cash prizes. To help protect employees and players during the COVID-19 outbreak, Florida Lottery headquarters and district offices remain closed to the public. Players who have winning tickets are encouraged to utilize the Lottery’s secured drop box located at each district office or mail tickets to Florida Lottery headquarters or their nearest district office.

Sheryll Goedert, 61, managing member of Vacation Life LLC, claimed the $396.9 million jackpot from the POWERBALL® drawing, the Florida Lottery announced. The next POWERBALL drawing will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11, at 10:59 p.m. National POWERBALL drawings are broadcast live, in high-definition, from the Florida Lottery’s state of the art draw studio in Tallahassee. Drawings are also available for viewing on the Florida Lottery website. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.

Published: March 3, 2020, 9:45 am Updated: March 3, 2020, 9:51 amNASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A 63-year-old Hilliard man just won a $1 million top prize from a $30 scratch-off game. The Florida Lottery announced that Robert Thrift claimed the first $1 million top prize from the new THE FASTEST ROAD TO $1,000,000 Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000.00. Thrift purchased his ticket from Smile Line, located at 5633 East Highway 98 in Parker. The $30 game launched in February and features 155 top prizes of $1,000,000 and over $948 million in cash prizes.

This Florida woman scratched her way to be two million dollars richer. Joyce Klarberg, of Edgewater, Florida, won the first $2 million top prize from the Florida Lottery’s new 100X Scratch-Off game, according to lottery officials. The winning scratch-off was purchased at the Publix on 2970 South Ridgewood Avenue in Edgewater. The 100X Scratch-Off ticket costs $10 and features eight prizes of $2 million. According to lottery officials, the game’s overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.46.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Can a Florida Lottery winner keep their identity secret? The state’s answer is clear: “Florida Lottery winners cannot remain anonymous." But a Jacksonville resident was able to keep his or her identity under wraps after winning the $3.5 million Florida Lotto jackpot by using a legal loophole. Typically, the jackpot winner’s personal information, apart their home address and telephone number, would have been made available to anybody asking for it. If this becomes common practice, Florida would be joining half a dozen other states which already allow lotto winners LLC anonymity.

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Someone in southwest Florida purchased a winning Powerball ticket worth almost $397 million, officials with the Florida Lottery said Thursday. The winning ticket was bought from a convenience store in Bonita Springs, Florida. The winner has six months to file a claim for the jackpot. However, if the winner wants a lump sum payment of $276.5 million, the claim must be filed within two months. Wednesday night’s drawing also produced a $1 million winning ticket that was purchased in Coconut Creek, Florida, according to the Florida Lottery.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the second time this week, a Jacksonville resident has hit a $2 million lottery jackpot. This time, it was thanks to a scratch-off ticket sold at a convenience store with a lucky reputation. The latest winning ticket was a $10 scratch-off sold at Day N’ Nite Food Store on Lem Turner Road. While Day-N-Nite Food Store has sold its share of lottery tickets, they’re still behind the store that News4Jax found sells the most winning tickets. You can learn more about those games and view an interactive map of tickets sold in our area by clicking here.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When you think of scratch off or general lottery tickets, you probably think the odds are against you and there’s no rhyme or reason to it. At that level of winning, winners are required to fill out a claim form, which includes where the ticket was purchased. It sold more winning tickets worth $600 or more in 2017 and 2018, with a total of 156 of those winners. Scroll to the bottom of this story to view an interactive map showing details on which stores near you most frequently sell winning lottery tickets and scratch-offs (App users click here). She purchased 48 winning tickets worth $70,500 during this two-year window.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida man has claimed a $1 million dollar grand prize after he struck gold on a $5 lotto ticket. The 55-year-old Palm Coast man received the top prize on the Gold Rush Classic scratch-off game. He chose to receive the winnings as a one-time, lump sum payment of $705,000. The big winner bought the ticket at the Quick King Food Store on North State Street in Bunnell. According to the Florida Lottery, the odds of winning the scratch-off are one-in-3.97.

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. - A Yulee woman has claimed the grand prize from a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket. According to a news release, Ashley Kelly, 34, of Yulee, purchased the winning ticket from Circle K on U.S. Highway 17. She paid just $5 to play the $500,000 Jackpot Multiplier. It's unclear if she chose to take the winnings as a one-time lump sum. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

TALLAHASSEE - A Jacksonville woman has claimed the grand prize from a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket. It's unclear if she chose to take the winnings as a one-time lump sum. Just a week ago, there were some other Jacksonville lotto winners. A Jacksonville man took a $2 million lump sum playing the Gold Rush Classic scratch-off. A 74-year-old Jacksonville woman hit the $4.5 million jackpot playing the Florida Lotto.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A Jacksonville man has claimed the top prize playing the $2,500 A Week For Life scratch-off game from the Florida Lottery. The man chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump sum payment of $2,015,000. He purchased the winning ticket from the Grand Central Station convenience store on Merrill Road. In July, a Jacksonville man claimed at $1 million prize from a Florida Lottery scratch-off. A couple of weeks before that, a Jacksonville man won $5 million playing the Gold Rush Classic scratch-off.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A local man hit the jackpot on Thursday after purchasing the winning $1 million prize from the GOLD RUSH CLASSIC Scratch-Off game. Fredy Carachure Quintero, 35, of Jacksonville, purchased his winning ticket from Crazy 8 Food Store, located at 1245 Broward Road in Jacksonville, according to the Florida Lottery. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket. Quintero declined the opportunity to take a photo. Overall odds of winning are one-in-2.99Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A 70-year-old Jacksonville woman won a $1 million prize in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game. Gai Giang, 70, of Jacksonville, chose to receive her winnings from The Price is Right Scratch-Off game as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $770,000. Giang purchased her winning ticket from Ramona Food Store at 8019 Ramona Blvd. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket. The $5 game, The Price is Right, launched in April 2018 and features more than $59 million in prizes, including six top prizes of $1 million.

About 65% of lottery money funds the prizes. And there are a lot of limits on how lottery money can be used. Last year, Duval County received $5.3 million from the Florida Lottery. The Duval County School Board says it needs $1.9 billion to revamp or replace the district's oldest schools. The amendment that created the Florida Lottery says districts must spend 90% of lottery funds they receive for specific programs such as faculty bonuses and classroom supplies.

News4Jax discovers how much money from Duval and Clay County receives from the Florida Lottery to assist with education.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Lawmakers seeking to slap gambling-addiction warnings on state lottery tickets and advertising once again failed to scratch out a winner. Ron DeSantis, noting potential impacts to money for education, vetoed a controversial bill (HB 629) that sought to require the following warnings to be prominently displayed on the front of all lottery tickets: Warning: Lottery games may be addictive, or Play responsibly.DeSantis in a letter accompanying his veto noted that Florida Lottery officials expressed concerns the new warning requirements could affect marketing and participation in multi-state games. As governor, one of my key priorities is making higher education affordable for Florida families, DeSantis wrote. The lottery bill, sponsored by Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, had been a priority of House leaders. Lottery officials argued the change could cause an annual reduction between $79.4 million and $232.7 million in money that games generate for education.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A St. Augustine man won $500,000 from a $5 scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery said. George Vilches, 33, of St. Augustine, claimed the prize after playing the $500,000 CROSSWORD EXTRA PLAY Scratch-Off game. He purchased his winning ticket from Publix, located at 18485 South Dixie Highway in Miami. The $5 game $500,000 CROSSWORD EXTRA PLAY launched in April and features over $69.4 million in prizes including eight top prizes of $500,000, the Florida Lottery said. The games overall odds of winning are one-in-4.06.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man won $1 million from a scratch-off ticket purchased on Monument Road, Florida Lottery officials said. He won the $1 million prize playing the $5,000,000 Gold Rush Doubler scratch-off game. Lottery officials said Garvanovic chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $745,000. Garvanovic purchased his winning ticket from the Gate gas station at 1001 Monument Road. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville Navy veteran won $2 million jackpot in the Florida Lottery's Lucky Money drawing after buying a Quick Pick ticket this month, lottery officials announced Wednesday. Michael Baines, Sr., bought the winning ticket at the Publix on Argyle Forest Boulevard in Jacksonville, the Florida Lottery said in a release. Baines chose to collect his winnings in a lump sum of $1,488,961.20 in lieu of receiving the total jackpot in periodic installments. Lottery officials said ticket sales for this drawing generated more than $2.4 million to contribute to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.