Ocklawaha woman converts $20 into $1 million Florida Lottery prize

An Ocklawaha woman has claimed a $1 million Florida Lottery prize.

Zarana Patel, 28, won the money in the $5 million Gold Rush Classic Scratch-Off game using a secured drop box located at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $710,000.

Patel purchased her winning ticket from Ray Qwik King Food Store, located at 9251 South Highway 314A in Ocklawaha. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $20 Gold Rush Classic launched in October 2018 and gives players the opportunity to win up to $5 million. Overall odds of winning are 1-2.99.

Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 75 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $1 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in fiscal year 2019-20.

To help protect employees and players during the COVID-19 outbreak, Florida Lottery Headquarters and district offices remain closed to the public until further notice. Players who have winning tickets are encouraged to utilize the Lottery’s secured drop box located at each district office or mail tickets to Florida Lottery Headquarters or their nearest district office. All claim deadlines have been extended, giving players the option to hold on to winning tickets and wait to claim any prizes until Lottery offices reopen to the public. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com/closures.

The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $37 billion to enhance education and sending more than 840,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests nearly 98 percent of its revenue back into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $71 billion in prizes and made nearly 3,000 people millionaires. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com.