Publix Shopper Wins The $110k Jackpot Off A Free Fantasy 5 Ticket

Everyone loves a good Florida Lottery story here in Tampa Bay. One Publix shopper got more than they bargained for when they struck gold on a free Fantasy 5 ticket raking in more than $110,000 in winnings.

According to the Florida Lottery, a Publix in Carrollwood gave out a free Fantasy 5 lottery ticket. The one lucky shopper listened for their numbers to be called on Monday evening when the unexpected happened. 

The Publix shopper with the free Fantasy 5 Ticket came in hot winning $110,861. The winning ticket was sold/gave out at the Publix store located at 13178 North Dale Mabry Highway.

The winning numbers were 7-11-25-31-32. 

The Florida Lottery has its perks for not only the winners but the retailers as well. There are different rules for retailer incentives on jackpot-winning tickets versus non-jackpot-winning tickets.

For the Jackpot winners for the Florida Lottery, the incentives begin at $10,000 and increase by $5,000 for every rollover. There is a maximum total of $100,000 in bonuses. 

For the Powerball, incentives begin at $20,000 and increase by $5,000 every rollover with also a $100,000 maximum. If the jackpot-winning ticket also includes Power Play, the retailer gets an extra $20,000.

Moving on to non-jackpot-winning tickets. You know we all love scratch-offs. Any retailer that sells a winning, non-jackpot, ticket of $1,000,000 or more gets a $2,000 commission for every $1million won.

For retailers who sell a Powerball non-jackpot ticket, they receive a bonus of $1,000 for selling a $1 million ticket. For selling a $2 million winning ticket, retailers get $5,000 in commission.

When someone buys a non-jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket, the retailer receives $1,000 for a $1 million winner. For a $2 million winner, the retailer gets $5,000 in commission.

Who couldn't use an extra million dollars these days? It's a running joke that Florida has some of the best odds when it comes to playing the lottery. It goes even further when you realize how many Publix stores sell top-winning lottery prizes. Obviously, it couldn't be any more than a coincidence but we decided to deep-dive into some of the top winning prizes sold in Publix stores. A few are even in the Tampa Bay area!

A lot of games in this list still have top prizes available! So if you're feeling lucky head to your nearest Publix to grab a ticket. It's important to know all the scratch-off games that have top prizes available. That way you won't waste your money or time. You can always check on the Florida Lottery website.

With any lottery win, the store that sells the winning ticket receives a bonus. We can only imagine how much Publix has been rewarded over the years. Other common stores that we noticed sell a lot of winning tickets are 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Winn Dixie. Maybe spread your luck and buy a ticket from each store.

It's been said by experts that if you win the lottery keep your mouth shut. This depends on how much money you end up winning. But if you're lucky enough to win a top prize, it's recommended to surround yourself with lawyers and financial advisors. If you're quick to broadcast your winnings, you could put your life in danger.

What would you spend your winnings on if you ever won a top prize? We bet a lot of people would pay off their debt or credit card bills. We wouldn't recommend blowing it on an expensive car or fancy house, because eventually the money will run out and you'll be stuck paying way more in taxes/maintenance.

Location: 3030 54TH AVENUE SOUTH, SAINT PETERSBURG

This winner played the $1,000,000 For Life Spectacle. They chose the cash option and took home $640,000. Only 1 top prize is still available for this game!

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 6760 W GULF TO LAKE HIGHWAY, CRYSTAL RIVER

This winner took home $640,000 at a Crystal River location. They played the 500X The Cash (#1555) scratch off. The Florida Lottery website says there's only 7 top prizes available for this amount!

Location: 6543 S TAMIAMI TRAIL, SARASOTA

This lucky person played the $5MM Triple Match (#1543) for $20 and won $1,000,000. 4 out of 8 top prizes remaining for this game.

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 11782 MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD, SEFFNER

The winner for this prize won the $1MM Triple Match game (#1546) and opted for the cash payout of $640,000. No more top prizes remain from this game.

Location: 7880 113TH STREET, SEMINOLE

This lucky winner from Seminole played the $20 Monopoly Doubler (#1513) won $5 million and took home $$798,985 after taxes! Only 1 top prize remains for this game!

Location: 650 W 23RD STREET, PANAMA CITY

This winner is $100,000 richer after playing the Hit and Win! game for $5. You can still find 5 out of 10  top prizes available!

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 501 SE 18TH AVENUE, BOYNTON BEACH

This winner from Brandon won $10,000 after spending $1 on the Florida 10X The Cash scratch-off. Only 4 out of 12 top prizes remain!

Location: 1101 8TH AVENUE WEST, PALMETTO

Shopping at Publix help this person win $1,000,000. After choosing the lump sum in cash, they received $795,000.. Only 2 prizes remain for the Gold Rush Limited scratch off game.

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 2135 EVERGLADES LANE, THE VILLAGES

This lucky person turned $10 into $500 by playing the $500 Wild Cash Bonanza game at Publix. There are over 12,000 remaining prizes for this game so you might be next!