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Lottery player buys $50 ticket — and wins $1M prize in Florida. Here’s where

A Florida resident scored a $1 million prize on a scratch-off game, lottery officials said.
A Florida resident scored a $1 million prize on a scratch-off game, lottery officials said. Photo by Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash

A stop at 7-Eleven led to a life-changing win for a lottery player in Florida.

Vijay Gandhi, 61, won $1 million playing a 500X THE CASH scratch-off game, the Florida Lottery said.

Gandhi bought the $50 ticket at a 7-Eleven in Tampa, according to an April 23 news release. He beat odds of 1 in 274,004 to snag the game’s second-tier prize.

The Hillsborough County man claimed his winnings at lottery headquarters in Tampa and went with the lump sum option, taking home $640,000 after taxes, officials said.

The 7-Eleven also received a $2,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

A top prize worth $25 million is still up for grabs in the 500X THE CASH scratcher game, according to the Florida Lottery’s website.

Additional information wasn’t immediately available.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Lottery player buys $50 ticket — and wins $1M prize in Florida. Here’s where."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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