Tampa Man Wins Big in ‘$1,000,000 a Year for Life’ Lottery Game

The week just got a whole lot better for one Florida resident. A 45 year old Tampa man bought a $50 scratch off ticket and won big at the Florida Lottery.

Yorjhans Rodriguez Damas picked up a scratch off lottery ticket at the Silver 7 Food Mart on West Hillsborouogh. According to the Florida Lottery, Damas cashed in on his $50 ticket to claim his $1,000,000 prize at the Florida Lottery’s Tampa Office. The store that sold the ticket to Damas receives a $2,000 bonus since they sold the winning ticket.

What game was Yorjhans Damas playing? He bought “$1,000,000 a Year for Life” game. This game isn’t for the faint of heart because you have to be willing to shell out for a $50 scratch off with potential to win nothing at all. Would you risk it for the biscuit? Damas might be the inspiration you needed.

According to officials, Damas chose to receive his winnings as a lump sum payment of $640,000. That sure isn’t $1,000,000, but better than nothing. 

According to Nerdwallet.com, you don’t have to be a mega winner to owe taxes on your lottery winnings. “The typical lottery tax is around 24% of winnings over $5,000, and is withheld by the lottery agencies. If your winnings push you into a higher tax bracket (a large prize may put you into the 37% bracket), you will probably have to pay additional taxes,” says Nerdwallet.

The government actually considers lottery winnings to be a form of your income. Your taxable winnings are decided based upon your current income. We’re no experts, so you’ll want to consult a tax expert if you win it a big.

The “$1,000,000 a Year for Life” game has two $1Million for life prizes. There are also 234 $1 million, one time winning tickets ripe for the picking.

For more information on the Florida Lottery, click here.

Who couldn't use an extra million dollars these days? It's a running joke that Florida has some of the best odds when it comes to playing the lottery. It goes even further when you realize how many Publix stores sell top-winning lottery prizes. Obviously, it couldn't be any more than a coincidence but we decided to deep-dive into some of the top winning prizes sold in Publix stores. A few are even in the Tampa Bay area!

A lot of games in this list still have top prizes available! So if you're feeling lucky head to your nearest Publix to grab a ticket. It's important to know all the scratch-off games that have top prizes available. That way you won't waste your money or time. You can always check on the Florida Lottery website.

With any lottery win, the store that sells the winning ticket receives a bonus. We can only imagine how much Publix has been rewarded over the years. Other common stores that we noticed sell a lot of winning tickets are 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Winn Dixie. Maybe spread your luck and buy a ticket from each store.

It's been said by experts that if you win the lottery keep your mouth shut. This depends on how much money you end up winning. But if you're lucky enough to win a top prize, it's recommended to surround yourself with lawyers and financial advisors. If you're quick to broadcast your winnings, you could put your life in danger.

What would you spend your winnings on if you ever won a top prize? We bet a lot of people would pay off their debt or credit card bills. We wouldn't recommend blowing it on an expensive car or fancy house, because eventually the money will run out and you'll be stuck paying way more in taxes/maintenance.

Location: 3030 54TH AVENUE SOUTH, SAINT PETERSBURG

This winner played the $1,000,000 For Life Spectacle. They chose the cash option and took home $640,000. Only 1 top prize is still available for this game!

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 6760 W GULF TO LAKE HIGHWAY, CRYSTAL RIVER

This winner took home $640,000 at a Crystal River location. They played the 500X The Cash (#1555) scratch off. The Florida Lottery website says there's only 7 top prizes available for this amount!

Location: 6543 S TAMIAMI TRAIL, SARASOTA

This lucky person played the $5MM Triple Match (#1543) for $20 and won $1,000,000. 4 out of 8 top prizes remaining for this game.

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 11782 MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD, SEFFNER

The winner for this prize won the $1MM Triple Match game (#1546) and opted for the cash payout of $640,000. No more top prizes remain from this game.

Location: 7880 113TH STREET, SEMINOLE

This lucky winner from Seminole played the $20 Monopoly Doubler (#1513) won $5 million and took home $$798,985 after taxes! Only 1 top prize remains for this game!

Location: 650 W 23RD STREET, PANAMA CITY

This winner is $100,000 richer after playing the Hit and Win! game for $5. You can still find 5 out of 10  top prizes available!

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 501 SE 18TH AVENUE, BOYNTON BEACH

This winner from Brandon won $10,000 after spending $1 on the Florida 10X The Cash scratch-off. Only 4 out of 12 top prizes remain!

Location: 1101 8TH AVENUE WEST, PALMETTO

Shopping at Publix help this person win $1,000,000. After choosing the lump sum in cash, they received $795,000.. Only 2 prizes remain for the Gold Rush Limited scratch off game.

https://floridalottery.com/games/scratch-offs/view

Location: 2135 EVERGLADES LANE, THE VILLAGES

This lucky person turned $10 into $500 by playing the $500 Wild Cash Bonanza game at Publix. There are over 12,000 remaining prizes for this game so you might be next!