Skip to main content
Clear icon
64Āŗ

Tourist wins $1 million playing scratch-off Florida Lottery game

Pit stop during 17-hour road trip ends up paying off big for Garens family!

(Florida Lottery)

PALM COAST, Fla. ā€“ A 45-year-old tourist from Ohio won a whopping $1 million after making a pit stop at a gas station during his visit to Florida, Lottery officials announced Wednesday.

Solomon Garens, of Munroe Falls, Ohio, chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $795,000.

Recommended Videos



Garens says he purchased his winning ticket at a RaceTrac gas station during his 17-hour road trip to Florida from his hometown.

ā€œI was exhausted. We had promised the kids we would visit family in Florida before summer ended,ā€ he said.

Garensā€™ wife joked that she had asked her husband to make a pit stop to grab some water a couple hours before he finally decided to take a rest.

He eventually stopped to pump gas at a RaceTrac in Palm Coast, bought his wife a water and decided to also purchase a scratch-off ticket.

ā€œWhen I saw the million-dollar prize, I couldnā€™t believe it!ā€ Garens said. ā€œI guess the only bad news is this has added a four-hour detour to our trip.ā€

Lottery officials say the gas station will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.

ā€œThe $20 Scratch-Off game, GOLD RUSH LIMITED, launched in September 2021 and features 32 top prizes of $5 million and 100 prizes of $1 million!ā€ a news release from the Florida Lottery stated. ā€œAdditionally, this ticket is filled with over 33,000 prizes of $1,000 to $100,000! The gameā€™s overall odds of winning are 1-in-2.65.ā€


About the Author
Amanda Batchelor headshot

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Loading...

Recommended Videos