Manatee County woman wins $5 million top prize in Florida Lottery game

A Manatee County woman recently scored a $5 million top prize on a Florida Lottery scratch-off game.

While the game is Monopoly-themed, lucky winners can walk away with lots of real cash.

That’s exactly what happened for Judith Van Hauer, an Ellenton woman who bought a “MONOPOLY SECRET VAULT” scratch-off ticket at a local Circle K, according to the Florida Lottery.

The game costs $20 per play and offers overall winning odds of 1-in-2.95. Odds of Van Hauer’s top prize win were 1-in-5568045, the Florida Lottery says.

Van Hauer cashed in her prize at the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee in May, where she chose to take the winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $2,884,920, the Florida Lottery said.

One $5 million top prize now remains in the “MONOPOLY SECRET VAULT” game, according to the Florida Lottery’s website. The game’s other prizes range from $20 to $20,000.

“The Florida Lottery reinvests 99% of its revenue into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,550 Lottery retailers, and transfers to education,” the agency said in a news release. “Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid over $100.2 billion in prizes and created more than 4,300 millionaires.”