Florida Woman Wins $1 Million Lottery Prize at Publix

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A St. Johns County woman is $1 million richer after purchasing a winning lottery ticket from Publix. Danita Wright, 65, claimed her prize from the Florida Lottery‘s 500X The Cash scratch-off game on Monday.

Wright bought the ticket for $50 at the Publix located at 845 County Road 210 W. in Jacksonville. According to lottery officials, she had a 1-in-4.23 chance of winning when she turned her $50 ticket into $1 million. She opted to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000.

The supermarket received a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, adding to its reputation as a lucky spot for lottery players. In fact, this Publix has sold other winning tickets in the past, including one that awarded $1 million in 2017.

The Florida Lottery has noted a trend in large wins following a price hike for Mega Millions tickets, which recently increased from $2 to $5. Since April, 14 winners have claimed prizes of at least $1 million, with scratch-off tickets accounting for a significant portion of lottery sales.

The game from which Wright won offers a total top prize of $25 million, the highest available on Florida scratch-off tickets. Overall, scratch-off games have created 2,283 millionaires in the state.

As of now, another winner from St. Johns County remains unannounced, having come forward on April 1 after purchasing their ticket at a different Publix location.