Miami Beach, Florida, North Beach, Collins Avenue, Christal Food Store, Florida Lottery vendor, Power Ball, Double Effect. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Talk about good karma! A Florida mother won a $2 million lotto prize one day after her daughter completed the last of her cancer treatment. Florida Lottery shared the heartwarming story via a press release on Friday (April 7).
The winner, Geraldine Gimblet, took home a “one-time lump sum payment of $1,645,000,” per the release. Her winnings were the result of a BONUS CASHWORD Scratch-Off game. Geraldine claimed her prize at the lotto headquarters in Tallahassee with her daughter and granddaughter at her side.
In tears, Gimblet’s daughter explained how significant the prize money is to their family–and how it came at the right moment.
“The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer. My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick. I’m just so happy for her!”
Gimblet also told Florida Lottery where and how she won the prize. She said she bought the scratch-off at a gas station, but the clerk initially informed her no tickets were left. But Gimblet insisted the clerk double-check, which later benefitted her BIG time!
“…I asked him to double-check because I like the crossword games the best. He found the last one,” she said.
Geraldine shared that she purchased her ticket from Pipkin Road Beverage Castle in Lakeland, Florida. Lucky for them, Geraldine’s win means the store will receive a $2,000 bonus commission.
According to the Florida Lottery, the scratch-off game Geraldine purchased costs $10. It has been in rotation since May 2022 and features eight prizes of $2 million and 20 prizes of $100,000.
Floridians have been cashing out with lottery prizes since 1988. Per their release, more than 3,500 people have become millionaires from winning lottery prizes. They’ve awarded over $85.8 billion in prize money since that date.
