A woman from the Tampa Bay area found herself millions of dollars richer after a trip to a convenience store.
ELLENTON, Fla. — Judith Van Hauer entered a Circle K in Ellenton in spring 2025, where she purchased a scratch-off lottery ticket.
On May 23, Van Hauer walked out of Tallahassee’s Florida Lottery Headquarters with a life-changing sum of money.
“Van Hauer turned $20 into $5 million when she purchased her winning ticket,” revealed the Florida Lottery in a press release.
She opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment of $2,884,920 for her winnings.
The winning ticket was from the “$20 MONOPOLY SECRET VAULT” scratch-off game, which was launched in July 2024 and featured four top prizes.
The Florida Lottery noted the odds of winning with a ticket were “1-in-2.95.”
Since its inception in 1988, the Florida Lottery has awarded over $11 billion in prizes, according to their official communications.
The Florida Lottery’s mission emphasizes responsible play, stating, “we care about all our players.”
To encourage responsible gaming, the state lottery website advises players to avoid viewing the lottery as a money-making venture, to set budgets, and to never chase losses or use borrowed money for playing.
Key Information
- Winner: Judith Van Hauer
- Location: Circle K, Ellenton, Florida
- Winning Ticket Purchase: $20 scratch-off – “$20 MONOPOLY SECRET VAULT”
- Total Winnings: $5 million (one-time payout of $2,884,920)
- Winning Odds: 1-in-2.95
- Florida Lottery’s Mission: Promote responsible play
Article original publish date: 2025-08-27 20:25:00
Article source: www.wtsp.com
Read the full story at the original source: www.wtsp.com
