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Trip to gas station ends with man becoming multi-millionaire in Florida Lottery

A $20 Florida Lottery ticket won a Ponte Vedra Beach man $5 million, officials say.
A $20 Florida Lottery ticket won a Ponte Vedra Beach man $5 million, officials say. Getty Images/iStockphoto

It’s common for lottery millionaires to lose that status after they pay the taxes, but not in the case of one player from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

He paid $20 for a $5,000,000 TRIPLE MATCH ticket and hit the jackpot.

So what’s a $5 million prize after state and federal withholding?

It’s $3,319.810, which means 66-year-old Robert Davenport still qualifies as a millionaire.

He had the option of getting the prize in annual payments or going with a lump sum check. Davenport went with the check, lottery officials said.

He claimed his prize on Nov. 19 and was able to get the announcement delayed thanks to a state law.

Odds of winning a jackpot in the $5,000,000 TRIPLE MATCH scratch-off game are 1-in-3,774,705.

Davenport bought his winning ticket at a Shell gas station on Corridor Road in Ponte Vedra Beach, which is about a 22-mile drive southeast from Jacksonville.

The store will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Trip to gas station ends with man becoming multi-millionaire in Florida Lottery."

MP
Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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