Florida man wins $1M on scratch-off lotto ticket after being cut in line at Publix
Stephen Espinoza wins $1 million on a $50 "500X The Cash" scratch-off ticket from a Publix supermarket. (Florida Lottery)
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - A Florida man looking for luck found it last week when a cut in line resulted in a winning million-dollar lottery ticket.
According to the Florida Lottery, Stephen Espinoza, 43, went to the Publix grocery store on Northeast 5th Avenue in Delray Beach to buy a lottery ticket after a bad day when he got to the machine to purchase a scratch-off, another man cut in front of him.
"Instead of saying something, I decided I'd just buy a ticket at the counter," Espinoza told the outlet.
He walked to the counter and chose a ticket from the $50 "500X The Cash" game, which launched in February 2022 and has a top prize of $25 million. The ticket was a winner, and Espinoza walked away with one of the game's $1 million prizes.
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Espinoza said he couldn't believe it. He traveled to the Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim his prize and chose to bring home the bacon in a one-time lump sum of $820,000.
He said he and his wife plan on using the money to buy a home for their family.
The Florida lottery says the $25 million top prize in the "500X The Cash" game is the largest top prize ever offered on a scratch-off game in the state. The game also offers the best odds to become a millionaire.
One of the two $25 million top prizes remains up for grabs.
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After Espinoza's win, there are 42 million-dollar prizes left out of the 160 that were available. There are also 77 out of 300 $50,000 prizes remaining.
The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 4.5.
The Publix location will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.