Florida Man Claims $168 Million After Dropping Ticket In Lottery’s Secure Box

Many state lotteries have had to adapt their claims processes due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Florida officials have been encouraging players to either mail in their tickets or drop off their tickets in the secure box located at claim centers.

Kruger did just that, dropping off his winning ticket at the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. The claims period in Florida has been extended to give winners more time to come forward amid the Covid-19 crisis, but Kruger waited less than a month after the drawing.

It has been revealed that his winning ticket was a Quick Pick and it was purchased at Publix, located at 4770 North Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach. The retailer will also receive a $100,000 bonus commission for selling the lucky entry.

Kruger has decided to take the winnings as a lump sum of $140,145,006 rather than the annuity option of $168 million over 29 years.

Florida Powerball Winners

With 14 jackpot winners, Florida is one of the most successful Powerball states. Tickets only went on sale in Florida in 2009, but it has already been the scene of some of the game’s biggest wins.

Gloria MacKenzie, from Zephyrhills, landed $590 million in May 2013, while one of the three winning tickets for the record $1.58 billion jackpot in January 2016 was also sold in the Sunshine State. David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith from Melbourne Beach stepped forward the following month to claim their $528 million share of the money.

Florida has also had the largest win of this year, after a group known as Vacation Life LLC banked $396 million in January.

The jackpot has now been won six times since the start of 2020, and has climbed back up to $75 million since Kruger won last month. You can check the latest numbers after every drawing to see if you are a winner.