LAKE ALFRED, Fla — A Polk County man just got a little bit richer a few days before the Easter Bunny is set to make its appearance.
Jose Vences Maldonado, 43, of Lake Alfred claimed a $1 million prize from the new "500X The Cash" scratch-off game.
Maldonado decided to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $820,000. He purchased his winning time from Wawa, located at 334 Havendale Boulevard in Auburndale.
The convenience store will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.
The new $50 game, 500X The Cash, features a top prize of $25 million which is the largest amount to ever be offered on a Florida scratch-off game. The game's overall odds of winning are 1 in 4.50.
Scratch-off games make up approximately 75-percent of ticket sales and generated more than $1.3 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in the fiscal year 2020-2021.
