An Alabama man turned a $5 scratch-off lottery ticket into $2.44 million dollars when he claimed the top prize in a Florida Lottery game earlier this week.

Gary Thomas, 49, of Dothan, Alabama, claimed a top prize from the $150,000 A YEAR FOR LIFE Scratch-Off game at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. Thomas chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $2,440,000.00.

Thomas was all smiles when he saw his oversized check!

“It’s still sinking in,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it! I still can’t believe it!”

Thomas purchased his winning ticket from Lotto Discount Liquor, located at 5837 U.S. Highway 231 in Campbellton, Florida. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $5 Scratch-Off game, $150,000 A YEAR FOR LIFE will create a lifetime of memories with more than 9.5 million winning tickets and $132.6 million in cash prizes including four top prizes of $150,000 a year for life! The overall odds are 1-in-3.95.

Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 72 percent of ticket sales in fiscal year 2022-2023. Since inception, Scratch-Off games have generated more than $18.09 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).