Two fortunate residents from Florida are now millionaires, each claiming $1 million prizes from the state’s $1,000,000 A Year for Life Spectacular scratch-off game. The Florida Lottery announced that the winners, Barbara Arnesen and Yorjhans Rodriguez Damas, both secured their prizes in January and claimed them two days apart.
Barbara Arnesen, a 67-year-old resident of Lake Placid, claimed her $1 million prize from the $1,000,000 A Year for Life Spectacular scratch-off game at the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on January 17. Her winning ticket was purchased at Sunshine Food Mart in Lake Placid, and the store will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.
On January 19, Yorjhans Rodriguez Damas, a 45-year-old resident of Tampa, claimed her $1 million prize from the same scratch-off game at the Florida Lottery’s headquarters. Damas purchased her winning ticket from Silver 7 Food Mart in Tampa, and the store will also receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.
Both winners opted to receive their winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000 instead of the annuity payment option of $40,000 annually for 25 years.
The $1,000,000 A Year for Life Spectacular is a scratch-off game launched in February, featuring two top prizes of $1 million-a-year for life and 234 prizes of $1 million. Arnesen and Damas claimed the second prize of $1 million each, rather than the top prize of $1 million a year for the rest of their lives.
The odds of winning in the $1,000,000 A Year for Life Spectacular game are 1 in 4.50.
Lottery enthusiasts can purchase tickets at gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and, in some cases, airport terminals. Additionally, online ticket ordering is available through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery , in several U.S. states and territories, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app enables users to select their lottery game and numbers, place orders, view tickets, and collect winnings, all through their phones or computers.
In a stroke of luck, Barbara Arnesen and Yorjhans Rodriguez Damas join the ranks of lottery winners, turning their $1,000,000 A Year for Life Spectacular scratch-off tickets into life-changing prizes. The excitement of such wins adds a touch of suspense to the lottery experience, creating moments of joy for the fortunate participants in these games of chance.