Florida Lottery scratch-off, Fire and Dice, sees winner from Fort Walton Beach, Panama City
Wow! Two people in the Panhandle area got a nice surprise from their local grocery store, thanks to the Florida Lottery.
On May 24, a new Florida Lottery scratch-off game became available to retailers: Fire and Dice. Cost to play? $2. Top prize? $5,000.
On May 26, Melissa Graves of Fort Walton Beach bought a winning ticket from Publix, 251 Miracle Strip Parkway Southeast, Fort Walton Beach. Graves, who claimed $5,000, was the first winner of the new scratch-off, according to the Florida Lottery.
Weeks later, on June 12, Sandra Martinez of Panama City Beach claimed $5,000. Martinez bought the ticket from Walmart, 10270 Front Beach Road, Panama City.
As of June 20, at least five people have claimed $5,000 via Fire and Dice, one of the lottery's four new scratch-off games. The tickets became available May 24, 2023.
Fire and Dice! and Fast 200s among Florida Lottery's 4 new scratch-off games with $145 million in prizes available
Below are things to know about Fire and Dice! and the Florida Lottery.
What is Fire and Dice scratch-off game about?
For $1, Fire and Dice gives players six chances to win up to $5,000.
What are the odds of Fire and Dice lottery game?
Your overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.96. Your odds of winning one of the 25 top prizes of $5,000 is 1-in-488,280.
Perfect timing! Florida mom wins $2 million lottery prize after using life savings to help sick daughter
A Winn-win! Florida man claims $1 million after buying a ticket from Winn-Dixie
How popular are scratch-off games?
Approximately 77% of lottery sales in Florida are scratch-off games, according to the Florida Lottery.
There are currently 89 different active scratch-off games available from the Florida Lottery, with ticket prizes ranging from $1-$50.
Sold! A Florida Realtor claimed a $41 million lottery prize
What is Florida's best lottery game? There's a website that tracks rates of return
What's the most I can win in a Florida scratch-off game?
Top prizes include 25 million from 500X the Cash, or $1 million a year for life (minimum $25 million) from the aptly-named $1,000,000 A Year For Life Spectacular. Both cost $50 to play.
'For the high-rollers': Florida lottery now has a $50 scratch-off game. Who's buying?
Can I buy Florida lottery tickets online?
No. Some states have this option via an app or website, but not the Florida Lottery. Tickets cannot be purchased by mail, fax or online. There are more than 13,000 authorized Florida Lottery retailers here, the site states.
When do Florida lottery tickets expire?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it. Florida Lottery says its scratch-off tickets and Fast Play game prizes "must be claimed within 60 days of the official end-of-game date. Once the applicable time period has elapsed, the related Florida Lottery ticket will expire."
What happens to the unclaimed prize money?
According to the Florida Lottery, state law requires 80% of unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets be transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20% is returned to the prize pool for future drawings.
Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?
According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."
However, the site states, since May 25, 2022, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
Contributing: C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network-Florida
Please support local journalism. Subscribe to a USA TODAY Network-Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Fire and Dice Florida Lottery game: 2 in Panhandle claim $5,000 prize
