A 31-year-old Ocala man has claimed a Florida Lottery prize designed to pay winners every week for life.
Robert Howard won the top prize in the $500 A Week For Life Scratch-Off game. He cashed in his ticket Tuesday at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee and elected to take a lump-sum payment of $405,000. Howard purchased his winning ticket from a gas station/minimart owned by Shas Bala Corp. Inc. at 9433 Southeast Maricamp Road in Ocala.
The $1 Scratch-Off game launched in July and features more than $19 million in total cash prizes. Overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.97.
Scratch-Offs are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $871 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in fiscal year 2017-18 and comprising approximately 69 percent of ticket sales.
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $36 billion to education and sending more than 840,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 97 percent of its revenue back into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and contributions to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $66.9 billion in prizes and made more than 2,800 people millionaires. For more information, visit www.flalottery.com.