CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — A 58-year-old man from Citrus County is screaming Christmas joy after becoming richer from a scratch-off ticket.
The Florida Lottery announced that Jeffrey Ariss claimed a $5 million top prize from the GOLD RUSH LIMITED Scratch-Off game at the Lottery’s Gainesville District Office.
Ariss, according to the Florida Lottery, chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $3,960,000.00.
He purchased his winning ticket from Star Food Mart, located at 8078 South Sun Coast Boulevard in Homosassa, which will receive a $10,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $10 game features 32 top prizes of $5 million and 100 prizes of $1 million.
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery's portfolio of games, comprising approximately 75% of ticket sales and generating more than $1.3 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2020-21.
