Powerball, Mega Millions Jackpots: What you need to know if you win
Here’s what you need to know if you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
FAQs only, USA TODAY
There were 67 winners in the Florida Lottery in August, making August the month with the second highest number of winners. February, the month with the fewest days, is the leading month of the year with 81 winners.
The biggest winner in Florida in August was a Florida Lotto ticket worth $20.5 million sold on August 7 at Murphy USA in Kissimmee.
The biggest winner of the month was a Powerball ticket sold in Pennsylvania on August 12. The ticket was valued at $212 million.
Is there a way to increase your odds of winning any of the Florida lottery games? Where were all those winning tickets sold? Are your chances better if you let the machine pick your numbers? Does Publix really sell more winning tickets than any other retailer? And what about the city; does that count?
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To answer these questions, we tracked all the winners of the various drawings in August – Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto, Jackpot Triple Play, Cash4Life and Fantasy 5.
How many Florida Lottery winners were there in August 2024?
In August there were 67 winners in the draws from August 1 to 31.
Compare the winners from August with those from the beginning of the year:
31 of all winning tickets sold in August were Quick Pick tickets.
There was one day in August when there were no winners in any of the drawing games, except for Cash Pop and the Pick games.
So far, February has been the only month in 2024 where there has been at least one winner every day.
How many winning tickets were sold at Publix in August?
For the eighth consecutive month, Publix sold more Florida Lottery winning tickets than any other retailer.
Here are the top retailers in August with at least two sales:
- Publix: 21
- 7-Eleven: 6
- Circle K: 4
- Winn-Dixie: 4
- Murphy USA: 2
- Race track: 2
Publix has been the leading retailer in every month so far: January (16), February (37), March (25), April (26), May (20), June (23), July (18), August (21).
Which city in Florida had the most lottery winners in August?
Here are the cities where the most lottery winners were sold in August – with at least two sales:
- Miami, Miami Beach: 5
- Orlando: 5
- Tallahassee: 3
- Orlando: 3
- Coconut Creek: 2
- Miami: 2
- Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach: 2
- Ocala: 2
- St. Cloud: 2
Miami, Miami Gardens, North Miami and Miami Shores were the locations with the most winning tickets every month in 2024, but shared the lead with Port St. Lucie in April and Orlando in August.
Do your chances of winning improve if you buy a lottery ticket at Publix in Miami?
Of the five lottery winning tickets sold in Miami, one was sold at a Publix supermarket.
Which Florida Lottery game had the most winners in August?
Not surprisingly, most winners came from playing Fantasy 5. In August there were 56 winners, in July there were 46 winners.
29 of the Fantasy 5 winners chose the Quick Pick option, where the machine selects their numbers.
What other games had winners in August?
Except for Fantasy 5, there were winners in these games:
- Cash4Life: 6 winners. One person purchased a winning ticket valued at $1,000 a day for life at a Publix in St. Cloud. The other tickets were sold in Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
- Powerball: 2 winners; tickets sold in Pennsylvania and California.
- Mega Millions: 1 winner; ticket sold in Planation
- Jackpot Triple Play: 1 winner; ticket sold in Ocala.
- Florida Lotto: 1 winner; ticket sold in Kissimmee.
What were the biggest jackpots won in August?
The biggest winner of the month was a Powerball ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth $212 million.
The biggest winner in Florida was a $20.5 million Florida Lotto ticket sold in Kissimmee on August 7.
Other big winners of the month were:
- Jackpot Triple Play, ticket sales in Ocala on August 13: $500,000
- Mega Millions ticket sold on August 30 in Plantation: $1 million
- Powerball: A ticket worth $212 million was sold in Pennsylvania; a ticket worth $44 million was sold in California.
- Cash4Life: Six winning tickets sold. Only one winner from Florida, a ticket worth $1,000 a day for life, was sold in St. Cloud on August 5. Additional tickets were sold in Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
What was the biggest Fantasy 5 jackpot in August?
The biggest Fantasy 5 winner in August was the $130,809 ticket sold at Publix in Miami on August 10.
What was the smallest Fantasy 5 jackpot won in July?
This month’s smallest Fantasy 5 winner was a $25,798 ticket sold at Publix in Coconut Creek.
How many Quick Pick tickets were won in the August lottery drawing?
In August, 31 winners chose the Quick Pick option; the largest winner was a $1 million Mega Millions ticket sold at Publix in Planation on August 30.
Where can you buy Florida lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to “Find a Florida Lottery Retailer.”
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Are you a winner? How to claim your prize
- Prizes valued at $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or district office.
- Winnings between $600 and $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
- Winnings over $1 million and all winnings with an annual withdrawal option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except for Mega Millions and Powerball winnings, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.
You can also claim your prize by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket with the required documentation to the Florida Lottery.
Florida law requires public announcement of winners
If you are a winner, the following information will be publicly available under Florida law:
- Full name
- Place of residence
- Game won
- Date of winning
- Amount won
- Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.
When are the Florida Lottery drawings?
- Powerball: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10:59 p.m.
- Mega Millions: Tuesday and Friday, 11:00 p.m.
- Florida Lotto: Wednesday and Saturday, 11:15 p.m.
- Jackpot Triple Play: Tuesday and Friday, 11:15 p.m.
- Cash4Life: daily at 9pm.
- Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 am, 11:45 am, 2:45 pm, 6:45 pm and 11:45 pm
- Tip 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
