Looks like a trip to the store resulted in a lot of dough.
A few bucks for a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket made some lucky winners in Florida a multimillionaire. After all, as they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
According to the Florida Lottery, there have been secondary winners in the big lottery games in the past week:
Powerball tickets start at $2 apiece and Mega Millions tickets start at $5 apiece. Below is what to know about lottery odds, how long you have to claim the cash option if you bought a ticket in Florida and what happens to unclaimed prize money, according to the Florida Lottery.
The next Mega Millions lottery drawing is Tuesday, March 17, 2026, or St. Patrick’s Day, the luckiest holiday of the year. The Mega Millions jackpot is for $60 million. As they say in the lottery business, “good luck!”
How long do you have to cash in a Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
Does the Florida Lottery reveal lottery winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Powerball, Mega Millions wins in Florida from Publix, Circle K. See list
Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang and Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
