FL LOTTERY
The Florida Lottery is a state-run lottery
in the State of Florida, USA.
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| FLLottery (Florida Lottery)
Florida Lotto is drawn each Wednesday and Saturday during a live broadcast at 11:00 p.m. ET. A single ball machine is used with numbered balls ranging from 1 through 53 (before October 24, 1999, it was 1 through 49). Anyone who matches all six numbers in any order wins or shares the jackpot.
In March 2008, two new jackpot levels were added to the game, allowing players to purchase $2 and $3 plays for larger jackpots. The base jackpot, a $1 play, remains the same—starting at a guaranteed US$3 million and increasing with each rollover if no one matches the six-of-six winning numbers.
A $2 play offers players the opportunity to win the base jackpot plus $10 million from the $2 jackpot prize pool; and, a $3 play offers players the opportunity to win the base jackpot, the additional $10 million jackpot and an extra $15 million from the $3 jackpot prize pool—for a total of $25 million added to the base jackpot. |
FL Lottery
Players who match the six-of-six winning numbers will share the base jackpot as well as the bonus jackpot in the applicable jackpot prize pool. If no ticket matches all six winning numbers, the base jackpot rolls over and the cash in the base jackpot prize pool is carried over to the next drawing. The $2 and $3 jackpot prize pools are fixed amounts and are not carried over.
Powerball (available January 4, 2009; first drawing with Florida January 7, 2009)
Though the Florida Lottery’s expenses and payouts vary from year to year, approximately 50 to 60 percent of its net revenue makes up the games’ prize pools, 30 to 40 percent is transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, six percent is paid to retailers in the form of commissions, two percent is paid to the Lottery’s on-line and Scratch-Off ticket vendors and the remaining two percent covers operational costs, including advertising.
All Cash 3, Play 4, and Fantasy 5 jackpot winners receive their winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment. Any winnings of less than US$600 may be redeemed at an authorized Florida Lottery retailer; higher winnings must be redeemed at a Lottery district office or at Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. All Mega Money and FlLotto jackpots of more than US$250,000 must be redeemed at Florida Lottery headquarters. Mega Money jackpot winners may choose between an annuity of 20 payments that roughly equals the advertised jackpot, or a lump-sum cash payment, which is about 2/3 of the advertised jackpot (less federal income tax withholding).
Florida Lotto jackpot winners may choose between an annuity of 30 payments that roughly equals the advertised jackpot, or a lump-sum cash payment, which is about 1/2 of the advertised jackpot less federal income taxes. For both Mega Money and Florida Lotto, the cash option must be exercised within 60 days of the applicable drawing. Florida does not have a state income tax; however, like all U.S. lottery prizes, they are taxable by the federal government.
Winners of Florida Lottery On-line games (Florida Lotto, Mega Money, Fantasy 5, Play 4, and Cash 3) must claim their prize within 180 days of the applicable drawing. Eighty percent of unclaimed jackpot money is transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, while 20 percent of the jackpot is transferred to a prize pool for funding future prizes.
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