Courtesy: Florida Lotto
In a perfect world, everyone who buys the minimum $1 lotto scratch-off ticket from the local convenience store or gas station would win at least their money back.
However, we don’t live in a perfect world therefore winning your money back or more than that is usually not the case.
But two Florida residents may live in that perfect world.
It only took $5 from Bonita Springs resident, Rosalie Mackay, to win the elusive million dollar top prize on the “MONOPOLY BONUS SPECTACULAR” scratch-off game. In contrast, it took a $20 ticket for Jacksonville resident, Yunzhen Ni, to cash in on the first million dollar prize in the “The 200X THE CASH” game. The winning tickets were purchased just weeks apart.
Let’s look at the numbers.
The overall odds to win any prize on the Monopoly ticket are at 1-in-3.96. The odds to win the top prize in that same game are at a whopping 1-in-4,797,135. In percentage numbers, this puts the odds of winning the million dollar prize at less than one-one millionth of a percent to win. That’s a lot of zeros on the opposite side of the decimal point.
As for the $20 ticket. The overall odds are slightly more favorable coming in at 1-in-2.96 and 1-in-1,497,278. While the odds are still astronomically low to win the million dollar prize, numbers don’t lie, and that means there’s hope.
Both Mackay and Ni opted to cash in on the one-time, lump-sum payment option which no longer makes them “Million-dollar winners,” technically. They each cashed in checks with respective amounts of $815,000 and $890,000. Although they both won the exact same amount in prize value, given how much they spent on the tickets affects the prize they get in return.
Not that the odds are in the favor of the buyer, but, there are still 23 tickets out there circulating between the two games with the million dollar value.
Let this serve as a reminder that you might want to think twice about avoiding the scratch-off booth at the checkout counter when you visit your local Publix or Shell gas station.
*Remember to gamble responsibly*
If you have a gambling problem please visit the National Council on Problem Gambling by clicking here or call 1-800-522-4700 for 24-hour service help. For additional resources, visit Gambling Addiction Guide & 8+ Helpful Tips to Stop (lotteryngo.com).
Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
