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Jupiter family claims $53.76 million lotto jackpot

NR 08-31-00 ... A family from Jupiter, holders of the only Lotto jackpot winning ticket from the Aug 19 drawing, claimed their prize today at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. James Costello (51), his daughter Joyce (33) and son Kelly (26), opted to collect their award in form of a single lump-sum cash payment of $26,129,246, instead of receiving annual installments worth $53.76 million. Kelly Costello, who accepted the prize on behalf of his father and sister, declined to comment on the family's good fortune. The Costello’s had bought their winning ticket at Farm Stores, located at 1651 West Indiantown Road in Jupiter, and used a Quick Pick option. This $53.8 million jackpot was the 14th largest in Florida Lotto history, and the 61st award for tickets bought in Palm Beach County. The Costello family also became the 627th winners of more than $1 million since 1988.

Tampa man claims $563,000 Mega Money Prize For August 25 Drawing

NR 08-30-00 ... On Tuesday, Aug 28, a man from Tampa claimed the $563,000 Mega Money jackpot from Aug 25 at the Florida Lottery's District Office in Tampa. William Schmidt (46) had bought his winning ticket at a Circle K store, located at 5770 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, and used the Quick Pick option to choose his lucky numbers.

Mega Money "Play for the Dough" game registers third group of 10 winners

NR 08-26-00 ... On Thursday, August 24, a third group of ten lucky Mega Money “Play for the Dough" winners were determined in Tallahassee. Each player won a new IBM Aptiva personal computer as well as free Internet access from NetZero. The players had bought $5.00 or more Mega Money tickets in a single transaction and thereby received a “Play for the Dough” coupon which they subsequently mailed to Lottery Headquarters. On Thursday, ten coupons were randomly drawn for the computer and Internet access prizes. All coupon entries are also eligible for the promotion's $250,000 grand prize drawing on September 21.

The winners are: Steven Titus (Boynton Beach), Gloria Aguilar (Miami), Harvey Cooper (Punta Gorda), Mr. or Mrs. Chiapperini (Boynton Beach), Linda Robbins (Lake City), Joe Jardine (Davie), Bob Reese (Inverness), Gary Peters (Miami) and Ruth Tucker (St. Augustine).

Winner Harvey Cooper (70) of Punta Gorda was overjoyed when Lottery officials gave him the good news. “I was just ecstatic. This is the first big prize I've ever won in my life!" - he said. Harvey, a retiree, stated that he has been playing Mega Money every Tuesday and Friday since June of last year. He also said that he plays other Lottery on-line games. Winner Bob Reese (77) of Inverness was delighted and declared: “This is quite a thrill to win a computer like this. I have finally won something back after playing all these years. This new computer will be great for my home along with the free Internet service from NetZero." Bob, a retired machinist, revealed that this will be his first computer ever.

The remaining two drawings will determine the final 20 winners of Mega Money’s “Play For The Dough promotion.” The next drawing is scheduled for Friday, September 1. All new entries received at Lottery Headquarters through Thursday, August 31 at 5:00 pm will be eligible for that drawing.

$53.76 million Lotto jackpot winner confirms his luck at a convenience store in Jupiter

NR 08-22-00 ... Saturday's $53.76 million Lotto jackpot winner confirms his luck at a convenience store in Jupiter. Employees of the Citgo store, located at 359 Indiantown Road, reported that the winner - a man - came into the store and verified that he was the holder of the winning ticket. Citgo employee Lyndell Kriek said that her co-worker who confirmed this incident "was very stunned." "She was amazed ... $50 million, that's a lot of money." Meanwhile, the Farm Store - where the ticket had been bought - received several banners and T-shirts from Lotto officials on Monday, indicating it to be the sales location of the winning ticket. A Lotto spokesman in Tallahassee stated that it usually takes about a week to ten days before the person comes in." They take time to set up a trust account or find a financial accountant." This $53.76 million jackpot was the 14th largest in Florida Lotto history.

Single winner claims $53.76 million jackpot in Lotto's Saturday drawing

NR 08-21-00 ... Single winner claims $53.76 million jackpot in Lotto's Saturday drawing!!! The winning ticket was purchased at Farm Stores, located at 1651 Indiantown Road West in Jupiter. Incidentally, this is already the second Lotto jackpot winning ticket sold at this store. The first one was for a $6 million jackpot on April 25, 1998, which was spilt by three winners (each one with a winning ticket). This is also the seventh Lotto jackpot winning ticket to be sold in Jupiter. And there have been 58 previous Lotto winners from Palm Beach County. Last Saturday’s winner has the option of cashing his/her lucky ticket for a $26,129,246 lump sum payment, or otherwise opt for 30 annual installments of approximately $1,792,000 per year. The winner has 180 days from the drawing date to claim the 30-year annuity and 60 days to claim the cash option. The rate of Florida Lotto ticket sales peaked at 8:00 pm last Saturday (Aug 19), when 30,000 tickets per minute were being sold. Next to the official jackpot winner, Public Education is also a winner in Florida: an estimated $21 million (or 38 cents of every Lotto dollar) have been raised from this rollover series.

Mega Money "Play for the Dough" game registers second group of 10 winners

NR 08-18-00 ... On Wednesday, August 16, a second group of ten lucky Mega Money “Play for the Dough" winners were determined in Tallahassee. Each player won a new IBM Aptiva personal computer as well as free Internet access from NetZero. The players had bought $5.00 or more Mega Money tickets in a single transaction and thereby received a “Play for the Dough” coupon which they subsequently mailed to Lottery Headquarters. On Wednesday, ten coupons were randomly drawn for the computer and Internet access prizes. All coupon entries are also eligible for the promotion's $250,000 grand prize drawing on September 21.

The winners are: Howard Butler Sr. (Miami), José Castro (Deltona), Rose Corrao (Ft. Lauderdale), John Ennis (Lake Worth), Laureen Greenwood (Inverness), Jerona Maxwell (Miami), Marie Montoya (Hialeah), Lieu Nguyen (Apopka), Ralph Tabasco (Orlando) and Celia Weinberger (Boca Raton).

Winner Laureen Greenwood (36) of Inverness had played Mega Money for the first time last week. After getting news of her award the full-time homemaker said:  "I was so surprised and shocked that I won this! I just mailed in my entry last week and couldn't believe they drew my name because I've never won anything before. We're going to use this new IBM to replace our old computer." Winner Celia Weinberger (66) of Boca Raton was so elated about her winning that "I called the whole world to tell them I had won!" Celia, also a full-time homemaker, stated: "I haven't been this excited since my husband and I moved to Florida 10 years ago. I'll put the computer to good use in our home."

Winner Ralph Tabasco (71) of Orlando meanwhile said: "This is the first time I've won anything like this. I was calm when I was talking to the Lottery person on the phone about my prize, but when I hung up, I said 'Wow!' It feels good to win something like this." Three additional drawings for 30 more winners will be held in the coming weeks, the first of those being scheduled for Thursday, August 24. All new entries received at Lottery Headquarters through Wednesday, August 23 at 5:00 pm will be eligible for that drawing.

Tampa man claims $491,771 Mega Money prize for August 15 drawing

NR 08-16-00 ... On August 16, a man from Tampa claimed half the Mega Money top prize from the Tuesday, August 15 drawing. Gustavo Morales (66), a retired shipyard worker, claimed his $491,771 Mega Money jackpot prize at the Florida Lottery's District Office in Tampa. Gustavo said he plans to use his winnings "to pay bills and help members of my family." He also stated that “this is the biggest amount I've ever won playing Lottery games! I've been playing Mega Money since it started, and love playing all the other Lottery games." Gustavo had bought his winning ticket at Kash N' Karry, located at 4056 N. Armenia Avenue in Tampa, and used a Quick Pick option to choose his lucky numbers. This $491,771 jackpot is one of the largest Mega Money jackpots in Hillsborough County since the game began in 1998.

Orlando man claims $491,771 Mega Money prize for August 15 drawing

NR 08-16-00 ... On August 16, a man from Orlando claimed half the Mega Money top prize from the Tuesday, August 15 drawing. Mike Miller (45) claimed his $491,771 Mega Money jackpot prize at the Florida Lottery's District Office in Orlando. Mike had bought his winning ticket at a 7-Eleven convenience store, located at 9861 Hawaiian Court in Orlando. The winner stated that he played his favorite numbers. This $491,771 jackpot is one of the largest Mega Money jackpots in Orange County since the game began in 1998.

Michigan woman claims $164,832 Mega Money prize for July 28 drawing

NR 08-15-00 ... On Monday, August 14, a woman from Michigan claimed a $164,832 Mega Money jackpot for the July 28 drawing. Joann Perser (66) of Hamtramck, Michigan, was the only jackpot winner for that drawing, and she endorsed her ticket in the Florida Lottery's District Office of Gainesville. Joann had bought her winning ticket at Bob's Zippy Market #6, located at 1400 South 14th St in Leesburg, using the Quick Pick option.

Mega Money "Play for the Dough" game registers first group of 10 winners

NR 08-11-00 ... The new Mega Money "Play for the Dough" game registers its first 10 winners on Tuesday, August 8, in Tallahassee. Each player won a new IBM Aptiva personal computer plus free Internet access from NetZero. The players had bought $5.00 or more Mega Money tickets in a single transaction and thereby received a coupon which could be mailed to Lottery Headquarters. On Tuesday, 10 coupons were drawn randomly for the computer and internet access prizes. All coupon entries are also eligible for the promotion's $250,000 grand prize drawing on September 21. Four additional drawings for 40 more winners will be held in the coming weeks, the first of those being scheduled for Wednesday, August 16. All new entries received at Lottery Headquarters through Tuesday, August 15 at 5:00 p.m. will be eligible for that drawing.

Navarre woman wins $100,000 top prize in Lottery's "Cowboy Cash" scratch-off ticket game

NR 08-11-00 ... A woman from Navarre, Deidre McLean (44), became the second person to win the $100,000 top prize in Lottery's "Cowboy Cash" scratch-off ticket game. She claimed the prize on Tuesday, August 8, in the Lottery's Pensacola District Office. Deidre had bought her winning ticket at the Tom Thumb store, located at 2401 W. Highway 98 in Mary Esther. Henry Eiland (51), a local route salesman from Orlando, was the first winner of the "Cowboy Cash" grand prize in early July. He had bought his lucky ticket at a 7-Eleven store, located at 1500 Edgewater Drive in Orlando. Henry said that he first bought two tickets with one resulting in a free ticket. Subsequently he bought four more tickets, and one of those was the $100,000 top-prize winner.

Naples man claims $22 million jackpot from Florida Lotto's June 21 drawing

NR 08-04-00 ... A man from Naples claimed the $22 million jackpot from Florida Lotto's June 21 drawing on Wednesday. Jean Delouche opted for a single cash payment of $10,918,269 instead of annual installments. He had bought his winning ticket at a Publix Supermarket, located at 12663 Tamiami Trail East in Naples, with a Quick Pick option. Jean is the fifth Florida Lotto winner from Collier County.

Vero Beach Lotto winners of $65 million jackpot travel to Tallahassee

NR 08-01-00 ... Fourteen of the 26 Vero Beach Lotto winners of the $65 million jackpot from 07-22-00 traveled to Tallahassee on Monday to claim their prize. They had opted for a $32.1 million lump-sum payment instead of annual installments. Higher than anticipated sales had actually increased the jackpot to $66.99 million, thus making it the 8th largest in Florida Lotto history. The employees of the Bent Pine Golf Club boarded a bus in the early morning hours of Monday to take the 5.5 hour trip from Vero Beach to the state's capital. The winning ticket - which had been purchased with a Quick Pick option - was carried in a metal strong box wrapped in a metal chain. The award ceremony at Lottery headquarters culminated an intense week with nationwide media attention. Some group members also report to have received unsolicited calls from insurance companies, investment firms and legal advisers offering their services.