Current:Home > InvestAlabama man wins $2.4 million after spending $5 on Florida lottery ticket -AssetTrainer
Alabama man wins $2.4 million after spending $5 on Florida lottery ticket
View
Date:2025-04-23 08:23:21
A lucky man from Alabama turned $5 and a trip to Florida into a lottery prize of $2.4 million, which he chose over $150,000 annually, for the rest of his life.
Gary Thomas, a 49-year-old resident of Dothan, Alabama, became a millionaire overnight after winning a single scratch-off ticket in Florida.
Thomas won the lottery after buying a ticket at Lotto Discount Liquor in Campbellton, Florida, which is 20 minutes away from his hometown of Dothan, Alabama. The retailer received a $4,000 bonus for selling the ticket.
On September 25, the Florida Lottery announced that Thomas claimed the top prize from a $5 scratch-off game called "$150,000 a Year for Life". He was all smiles.
"It's still sinking in," Thomas told the Alabama Lottery. "I couldn't believe it! I still can't believe it!"
Thomas chose the lump-sum payment of $2.44 million as his prize of the annual payout touted in the game's name.
More winners:A Florida man turned $10 into $4 million after winning $250k for life scratch-off game
What is the $150,000 a Year for Life game?
The "Year for Life" family of instant games from the Florida Lottery offers tickets priced from $1 to $50, including the "$150,000 a Year for Life" ticket. Thomas has won the first of four top prizes, providing him with $150,000 yearly for the rest of his life, or a lump sum of $2.4 million. There are still three top prizes remaining.
What are the odds of winning $150,000 a Year for Life?
The chance of winning any prize is 1 in every 3.95 attempts.
There are still unclaimed prizes in the game, including 105 out of 168 second-tier prizes worth $10,000 each and 414 out of 654 third-tier prizes worth $2,000 each. The game was launched in July.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in-person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms and conditions.
veryGood! (88658)
Related
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Possible Vanderpump Rules Spin-Off Show Is Coming
- Supreme Court looks at whether Medicare and Medicaid were overbilled under fraud law
- Jada Pinkett Smith Teases Possible Return of Red Table Talk After Meta Cancelation
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- ‘Delay is Death,’ said UN Chief António Guterres of the New IPCC Report Showing Climate Impacts Are Outpacing Adaptation Efforts
- A Climate-Driven Decline of Tiny Dryland Lichens Could Have Big Global Impacts
- Polaris Guitarist Ryan Siew Dead at 26
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- First raise the debt limit. Then we can talk about spending, the White House insists
Ranking
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Banks are spooked and getting stingy about loans – and small businesses are suffering
- Amid Delayed Action and White House Staff Resignations, Activists Wonder What’s Next for Biden’s Environmental Agenda
- Amid Delayed Action and White House Staff Resignations, Activists Wonder What’s Next for Biden’s Environmental Agenda
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Maryland Gets $144 Million in Federal Funds to Rehabilitate Aging Water Infrastructure
- Maryland Gets $144 Million in Federal Funds to Rehabilitate Aging Water Infrastructure
- The U.S. just updated the list of electric cars that qualify for a $7,500 tax credit
Recommendation
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
AI could revolutionize dentistry. Here's how.
How One Native American Tribe is Battling for Control Over Flaring
Biden bets big on bringing factories back to America, building on some Trump ideas
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
A Climate-Driven Decline of Tiny Dryland Lichens Could Have Big Global Impacts
A Florida Chemical Plant Has Fallen Behind in Its Pledge to Cut Emissions of a Potent Greenhouse Gas
Honoring Bruce Lee