The Lotto Matrix: Florida Store Strikes Twice, $6M Winner, The Price is Right, And More

Welcome to this week’s “Lotto Matrix,” a weekly Friday compilation of the lottery industry’s most significant, interesting, or absurd happenings.

Lottery Shines on Florida Store

This past weekend, a Florida Lottery retailer in Hollywood, Florida, experienced a winning streak by selling two jackpot-winning Fantasy 5 tickets for back-to-back drawings. A Publix grocery store sold the first winning ticket for the evening drawing on Friday, June 21. This ticket hit the jackpot, sharing a $62,406.56 prize with another winner in Miami. Both winners selected their own numbers, which were 2, 15, 22, 24, and 25.

Amazingly, less than 24 hours later, the same Publix store sold another jackpot-winning ticket for the subsequent midday drawing on Saturday, June 22. This second ticket, which was a Quick Pick, won a $58,877.37 jackpot by matching all five numbers: 12, 21, 24, 32, and 36.

The Florida Lottery detailed this rare occurrence in its Fantasy 5 jackpot winners and retailer report, highlighting the unusual consecutive sales of winning tickets at the same location within such a short timeframe.

Instant Gratification

A 32-year-old man from Wayne County, Michigan, recently won a $6 million prize playing the lottery. It was almost instant gratification, as it was only the second time he played the lottery this year. The winner, who described himself as an infrequent lottery player, bought the 500X Money Maker ticket from a 7-Eleven store in Clinton Township.

“I scratched the ticket off and, when I saw I won $6 million, I started hyperventilating! I had to take the day off work because I was in a state of shock. I texted my wife and said, ‘Lucky number 14.’ She jokingly replied, ‘What do you mean? Are we millionaires?’ As soon as I got home, I told her the big news,” he said.

Upon discovering his win, the unidentified Michigan man (Michigan winners aren’t required to publicize their names) shared his plans for the prize money. He intends to use the $6 million to start a business, make investments, and support his family. His rare purchase paid off significantly, marking a life-changing event and offering him a substantial financial boost for his future endeavors.

The Teen Millionaire

The Florida Lottery announced on June 25 that Hyury Oliveira, a 19-year-old resident of Pompano Beach, claimed a top prize from the $1,000,000 A YEAR FOR LIFE SPECTACULAR scratch-off game.

Oliveira bought the winning ticket at a supermarket in Deerfield Beach. He chose to receive his winnings as a lump-sum payment of $640,000. For selling the winning ticket, the retailer was awarded a $2,000 bonus commission.

The $1,000,000 A YEAR FOR LIFE SPECTACULAR Scratch-Off game, priced at $50, features a range of prizes that includes two top awards of $1 million per year for life, and 234 prizes of $1 million. Additionally, the game offers more than $1.6 billion in cash prizes. The overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.50.

Come on Down!

Two big companies are teaming up again to bring popular game shows like The Price is Right, Family Feud, and Press Your Luck to lottery games. Scientific Games is extending its long-running partnership with Fremantle, a company that produces entertainment content.

“We have found that these game show brands work really well in the iLottery space as they have play mechanics that players already know and love. We can bring that same excitement from TV to iLottery so players can enjoy digital lottery games featuring game shows they have watched for years.”

Scientific Games VP of Licensing Tina Hoover

The partnership isn’t new, but it sounds like they’ll be offering even more variety in the future. They’ve already created over 100 different games based on these shows, including scratch-off tickets, fast-play options, and even online games.

They even use the game show themes in bonus promotions and special events for lottery winners.

Birthday Riches

A lottery player’s sentimental approach brought significant luck in southern Massachusetts. Jacky Huang used his birthday, along with those of his sister and uncle, to select his numbers.

The first five numbers on his ticket matched those drawn on June 10 in the multi-state Lucky for Life game, according to a June 21 news release from Massachusetts lottery officials.

When claiming his prize at the state’s lottery headquarters in Dorchester on June 20, Huang chose the annuity option. He will receive $25,000 annually before taxes for the rest of his life, per the officials. Huang plans to use his winnings to cover college tuition for himself and his sister.

Massachusetts has also had a lot of success with its Cashword scratch off. Two tickets hit this week – one for $1 million and the other for $5 million.

Changing Dynamics

An online survey in Michigan reveals that 54% of scratch ticket sales are made on impulse, according to the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries. However, retailers are experiencing challenges that negatively impact these spontaneous sales.

The growth of eCommerce and buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) is a significant factor, with the U.S. being the largest BOPIS market globally. Nearly one-third of online shoppers now use BOPIS, marking a 33% increase from last year.

Self-checkout is also becoming more prevalent, reducing opportunities for impulse purchases. Innovative store formats, such as Amazon GO and its Dash Cart technology, further alter transaction processes for instant tickets. Circle K plans to introduce thousands of AI-powered self-checkout systems that do not use barcodes in the coming years.

Additionally, light and occasional scratch ticket players, who are more likely to make impulse purchases, often use pay-at-the-pump or mobile apps when refueling at gas stations.

Convenience stores, which account for about 70% of instant ticket sales, remain dominant, with around 150,000 locations in the U.S. In contrast, grocery and dollar stores have approximately 45,000 and 40,000 locations, respectively. Despite their dominance, convenience stores have faced challenges over the past few years, limiting new location growth and reducing the overall size of the lottery retailer network.

In the U.S., online lottery options are growing. Illinois was the first to sell single tickets online in 2012, and now 12 other states and D.C. have followed suit. Some states, like New York, offer online subscriptions for certain games. There’s even a new trend of multi-state online lottery games with jackpots that grow across participating states.

Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire are the first to offer these, with Kentucky and North Carolina joining soon.

The biggest prize won so far in this new system was over $5.7 million in Virginia.

Best Of The Rest

Another Silver Lottery: IL Lottery rolls out sweepstakes for 50th anniversary

Lifetime Winnings: N.Y. Lottery: NYC winner gets $1,000-a-week prize on Cash4Life second ticket

Instant Ticket History: Mass Lottery Celebrates 50th Anniversary of First Instant Ticket

20 Years in the Making: Mass. State Lottery winner: Man wins $1M after 20 years playing at same store

Check the prize box and see you next week!