If you have a winning lottery ticket from the Florida Lottery, there are a few options for where you can turn it in to claim your prize. The easiest and most convenient way is to mail the signed winning ticket to the Florida Lottery headquarters. You can also visit a Florida Lottery district office or authorized claims center in person. Florida Lottery retailers cannot validate or pay prizes over $600, so you will need to turn in any substantial winning tickets directly to the Lottery.
Can I mail in my winning Florida Lottery ticket?
Yes, you can mail in your winning Florida Lottery ticket to claim your prize. Simply sign the back of your ticket and fill out a claim form. You can find claim forms on the Florida Lottery website or at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer. Once you have filled out the claim form completely, mail the signed ticket and claim form to:
Florida Lottery
Claims Processing
250 Marriott Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32399-9939
Make sure to make copies of both sides of your ticket before mailing it. Send the ticket by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested for tracking purposes. Keep the mailing receipt until your prize payment is received.
What if I want to turn in my Florida Lottery ticket in person?
You can bring your winning Florida Lottery ticket to a Lottery district office to claim your prize in person. There are seven Lottery district offices located throughout Florida that you can visit:
- Pensacola District Office – 5056 Mobile Highway, Pensacola
- Tallahassee District Office – 250 Marriott Drive, Tallahassee
- Jacksonville District Office – 5047 Edgewood Avenue West, Jacksonville
- Orlando District Office – 2300 Discovery Drive, Orlando
- Tampa District Office – 615 Channelside Drive, Tampa
- West Palm Beach District Office – 250 South Australian Avenue, Suite 300, West Palm Beach
- Miami District Office – 9250 NW 36th Street, Suite 600, Doral
At a district office, a Lottery representative can validate your ticket, process your claim, and authorize your prize payment. Make sure to bring a photo ID and social security card/tax identification number as well. District offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm, except designated state holidays.
Can I claim my prize at a retailer location?
Florida Lottery retailers can validate winning tickets and pay prizes up to and including $600. To claim a prize over $600, you will need to visit a Lottery district office or mail in your ticket to Lottery headquarters. Prizes over $250,000 must be claimed in person at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
To have your winning ticket validated and paid out at a Florida Lottery retailer, simply take your ticket to an authorized retailer. The retailer will scan your ticket to confirm it is a winner and that the prize has not already been paid. You will need to fill out a claim form and show a valid ID. Once validated, the retailer can pay prizes up to $600 in cash.
How long do I have to claim my Florida Lottery prize?
For Scratch-Off games, you have until the end of the official game end date to claim your prize. The end dates can be found on the Florida Lottery’s official game pages. For Draw games, you have 180 days from the winning draw date to claim your prize. For Lucky Money, you have 60 days from the winning draw date to claim your prize.
If you don’t claim your prize in time, the prize money will go back to the lottery to be used towards future games and operations. Make sure to check your tickets promptly and turn them in before time runs out!
What information do I need to provide when claiming my prize?
When submitting a claim, either by mail or in person, you will need to provide the following information:
- Your name, address, and phone number
- Date of birth
- Social security number or federal identification number
- Signed winning lottery ticket
- Completed claim form
- Valid photo identification
This information is required for tax reporting purposes. If you win over $600, the Lottery is required to file a Form W2-G with the IRS reporting your winnings. You will need to provide your tax identification number so the winnings can be reported properly.
How are lottery prizes paid out?
Prizes up to $600 can be paid in cash by authorized Florida Lottery retailers. For prizes over $600 claimed at a district office, you will be given a check or funds loaded onto a Digital Play card. If you claim by mail, a check will be mailed to the address provided on your claim form.
For large Scratch-Off prizes of $250,000 or more, you will be given the option of a single lump sum payment or annual installments over 20 or 30 years. Annuity options are not available for Draw game prizes over $250,000 – those prizes are paid as lump sums.
Can someone else claim my lottery prize for me?
Yes, you can have another person claim a lottery prize on your behalf. The person claiming for you will need to bring the following when submitting your ticket:
- Signed winning lottery ticket
- Completed claim form filled out with your information
- Copy of your valid photo identification
- Copy of social security card/tax identification number
- Copy of their own valid photo ID
- Notarized written authorization signed by you
This documentation gives the person permission to collect the prize money on your behalf. They will need to provide their own tax information for tax reporting purposes.
Can winners remain anonymous?
Florida law requires the Florida Lottery to disclose the identity of prize winners. The names and city of residence for winners of $250,000 or more are published on the Lottery’s website, social media, press releases, and winner brochures.
While complete anonymity is not possible, there are some steps winners can take to maintain partial privacy. Lottery winners should change phone numbers immediately to avoid solicitation. Consulting with legal or financial advisors can help establish trusts, limited liability companies, or other entities to claim the prize funds anonymously. Winners should be cautious about disclosing or publishing information about themselves after winning.
Are lottery prizes taxable?
Yes, lottery prizes are considered income so you must pay taxes on your winnings. For prizes over $600, the Florida Lottery will withhold federal taxes at a rate of 24% at the time you claim your prize. You may owe additional taxes when you file your tax return for the year you won the prize money.
For large jackpots, it is recommended that you consult with a tax professional to determine your estimated tax liability. Lottery winnings could potentially push you into a higher federal tax bracket. You may need to make estimated quarterly tax payments on the winnings.
There is no state income tax withholding in Florida. However, you still must claim lottery winnings on your Florida tax return. You may owe additional state taxes if your overall taxable income for the year exceeds Florida’s minimum threshold.
What are the odds of winning the Florida Lottery?
| Game | Odds |
|---|---|
| Florida Lotto | 1 in 22,957,480 |
| Powerball | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| Mega Millions | 1 in 302,575,350 |
| $1 Scratch-Offs | Varies by game (1 in 4.50 on average) |
| $2 Scratch-Offs | Varies by game (1 in 4.17 on average) |
| $5 Scratch-Offs | Varies by game (1 in 4.05 on average) |
| $10 Scratch-Offs | Varies by game (1 in 3.87 on average) |
| $20 Scratch-Offs | Varies by game (1 in 2.89 on average) |
As you can see, the odds of winning the jackpot on Florida Lotto or multistate games like Powerball and MegaMillions are extremely long. Scratch-Off games provide better chances with odds averaging around 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 of winning any prize amount. Of course the priority should be having fun, not just focusing on the long shot odds!
What is the luckiest Florida Lottery retailer?
According to Florida Lottery data, the luckiest lottery retailer in the state is the Publix supermarket located at 3925 South Clyde Morris Boulevard in Port Orange. This store has sold 55 winning lottery tickets over $1 million or more as of 2022! Other stores with high numbers of major winners include:
- 7-Eleven at 1500 Cumberland Road in Rockledge (32 wins over $1 million)
- Publix at 2180 West SR 434 in Longwood (31 wins)
- Save Mart at 4620 South Clyde Morris Boulevard in Port Orange (29 wins)
- Publix at 6495 Newbury Road in New Port Richey (25 wins)
- 7-Eleven at 7958 West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach (25 wins)
The luckiest retailers are concentrated in Central Florida where over 70% of Scratch-Off tickets are sold. Stores in this high population region naturally see more winning tickets. But certain locations seem to defy the odds with big clusters of major winners. Perhaps there is some hidden good fortune in shopping at those stores!
What was the biggest Florida Lottery jackpot ever?
The largest lottery jackpot in Florida Lottery history was a $590.5 million Powerball prize won on May 18, 2013. The winning ticket was purchased at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a city near Tampa. The winner, Gloria C. Mackenzie, was an 84-year-old woman who opted to take the $370.9 million lump sum payment.
At the time, Mackenzie’s jackpot broke the record for the largest single ticket Powerball prize. It remained the biggest Powerball jackpot ever won by a single person until January 2016. The Zephyrhills Publix sold one of the luckiest lottery tickets in U.S. history!
Has anyone won the lottery more than once?
It is extremely rare, but there have been a handful of people who have claimed multiple major lottery jackpots. Winning once is hard enough, but a few fantastically lucky individuals have won big more than once:
- Joan Ginther – Won 4 jackpots ranging from $5.4 million to $10 million in the Texas Lottery from 1993 to 2010.
- Evelyn Adams – Won the New Jersey lottery twice, in 1985 and 1986, to the tune of $5.4 million altogether.
- William Post – Won a Pennsylvania lottery jackpot of $16.2 million in 1988, then scored a $1 million jackpot in the same state in 1998.
- Francois Marin – Managed to win 8 lottery jackpots in both Europe and the U.S. totaling over $7 million.
- Richard Lustig – Won 7 lottery jackpots between 1993 and 2010, including 4 Scratch-Offs in Florida.
Some critics argue pure luck is unlikely and question whether multiple winners may have figured out how to game the system. But such repeated success stories do happen without cheating. With odds of many millions to one each time, who wouldn’t want lottery lightning to strike more than once!
What is the unluckiest losing lottery ticket number?
Ironically, the number combination of 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 is considered the unluckiest for Powerball. This sequence of consecutive numbers has never been drawn in any Powerball drawing since the game began in 1992. Lottery officials confirm it is the only combination of 6 numbers that has never hit.
Some people play this exact sequence hoping to finally see it drawn and “break the curse.” The odds are astronomically high, but someone could get lucky. Due to the popularity of consecutive numbers, the average jackpot in drawings where they are played tends to be much higher. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the historic day those unlucky numbers might just win big.
Has anyone cheated to win the lottery?
There have been some infamous cases of lottery fraud over the years. Dishonest retailers trying to cheat customers and attempts to scam lotteries with insider wins don’t always work out as planned:
- In 1980, the Pennsylvania Lottery was rigged by lottery drawing hosts to select certain numbers. Involved parties won $1.8 million before the scam was exposed.
- In 2017, a man named Robert Rhodes bought a $14.3 million jackpot-winning ticket while working at the Indiana lottery. He was sentenced to probation.
- In 2005, a group of lottery retailers conspired to try to claim a $12 million Megabucks jackpot in Wisconsin for themselves.
- In 2018, a man stole a winning $10 million Scratch-Off ticket from his roommate in Long Island. He pled guilty to grand larceny.
Lotteries have security measures in place to try to detect false claims and cheating. Tampering with lottery drawings or equipment can lead to criminal charges. Retailers can also be penalized for paying prizes under false pretenses. In the end, crime doesn’t pay when you are caught scamming the lottery system!
What is the luckiest day of the week to buy a lottery ticket?
According to statisticians who have analyzed lottery data, Saturdays tend to have slightly more winners proportional to ticket sales than other days of the week. Wednesday also ranks higher than average in luckiness. The most winning Powerball numbers have also been drawn most frequently on Saturdays.
Experts theorize leisure lottery players who have weekends free tend to play in heavier volume on Saturdays. With more tickets in play, there are naturally more winners. Some mystical lottery fans claim Saturdays resonate well with the energetic vibrations associated with wealth and abundance.
Of course in reality, random lottery draws have no bias by day of week. Your chances are technically the same each day. But statistically Saturdays have a slight edge, giving hope to weekend lottery warriors in search of good fortune!
Conclusion
The Florida Lottery offers many ways to claim prizes, with helpful retailer locations statewide as well as mailing and district office options. Winners should be sure to sign tickets, plan for taxes, and file claims promptly before deadlines expire. Dreaming of multi-million dollar jackpots is exciting, but responsible play means always knowing the odds and claims procedures. With the right information and a bit of luck, a life-changing lottery fortune could be yours for the taking!
