Quick Walmart Run Minted This Florida Man A Cool Million Bucks – AOL

A routine stop at a Lynn Haven Walmart turned into a life-changing moment for a Panama City resident, state lottery officials confirmed today.

Garey Payne, 50, traveled to the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim a $1 million prize. He won the money playing the “$25,000,000 Gold Rush Multiplier” scratch-off game, which costs $50 per ticket.

Instead of receiving the full prize in long-term installments, Payne opted for a one-time, lump-sum payout. After taxes and standard withholding, he walked away with a single check worth $638,100.00. Records show he bought the lucky ticket at the Walmart location at 2101 S Highway 77 in Lynn Haven.

The game Payne played features massive payouts, including two top prizes of $25 million and 60 individual $1 million winning tickets. Across the entire game, the Florida Lottery states that there are over $1.2 billion in total cash prizes, with overall odds of winning any prize sitting at 1-in-4.09.

Scratch-offs like the one Payne bought are the primary driver for the state’s lottery system. They made up roughly 74 percent of all ticket sales during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Since the lottery first started, these scratch-off games alone have paid out more than $72.2 billion in prizes and created 2,510 millionaires.

The lottery also serves as a major funding source for Florida schools. Revenue from scratch-offs has generated more than $21.28 billion for the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. Total contributions from all lottery games have topped $50 billion for education since 1988, helping fund the Bright Futures Scholarship Program for more than one million college students. Lottery officials note that 99 percent of all revenue is pushed back into the Florida economy through player payouts, transfers to schools, and commissions to more than 13,600 retail businesses.

READ: Scratch That Itch: Florida Lottery Unleashes Four Brand New Games With $360 Million In Prizes

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Quick Walmart Run Minted This Florida Man A Cool Million Bucks