Man walks away with $1million prize after buying a $5 lottery scratch ticket

14 August 2023 , 21:52

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His winning ticket was purchased at the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Publix - with the retailer now set for a $2,000 bonus commission reward

A man has won $1million from a $5 scratchcard ticket.

Thomas Hoshko, 69, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won the $1million jackpot after playing the Gold Rush Doubler scratch-off game, Florida Lottery said in a news release. Hoshko opted to receive his prize as a single lump-sum payment, a total sum of $685,000.00.

His winning ticket was purchased at the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Publix - with the retailer now set for a $2,000 bonus commission reward. According to the Florida Lottery, Scratch-Off games accounted for approximately 77% of ticket sales in 2021-2022.

The $5 Gold Rush Doubler game offers $188 million in cash rewards, with 28 grand prizes of $1 million each. The odds of winning across the game stand at 1-in-3.98, reports 7News Miami.

The $5 Gold Rush Doubler game offers $188 million in cash rewards, with 28 grand prizes of $1 million each

The Florida win comes after another lottery winner scooped a $1millon Powerball prize without actually buying a ticket from a store. The Ohio winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was alerted to the win when a message from an application called Jackpocket appeared on their phone after using the app to have a ticket purchased on their behalf.

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Lucky numbers 17, 24, 48, 62, and 68 saw the man, who moved to Ohio for work after growing up in Australia, only miss the Powerball of 23, leaving him with a $1million jackpot. He said couldn't believe his eyes when the notification came through.

"I was scrolling through emails just doing a bit of work, and then I saw a pop-up to check the app. I saw '$1 million' in the message and had to read it a few times".

The man said he chose a pattern of numbers that had "personal significance" for him and his wife. The couple opted to play the Powerball after seeing jackpots reach up to $1billion, with the husband adding: "We just figured that while we're here for a few short years, we might as well get a few tickets and see what happens. We feel very lucky."

Abigail O'Leary