Lottery player splurges on $50 ticket and wins life-changing prize at FL Publix

A lottery player making a trip to a Publix grocery store turned $50 into a $1 million prize with a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket.

The Naples man has now claimed his prize as a one-time payment of $640,000, the Florida Lottery said April 14.

Alexander Demooy bought a ticket for the $500X The Cash game with a top prize of $25 million, the largest prize ever in a Florida Lottery scratch-off game, officials said.

The 38-year-old missed the jackpot, but he hit a second-tier windfall of $1 million on the $50 ticket, which is the maximum price point for Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets, records show.

He bought his lucky ticket in Marco Island at the Publix Super Market at the Shops of Marco, which received a $2,000 commission for the sale.

Marco Island is a barrier island off the coast of southwest Florida, about a 20-mile drive south from Naples.

This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Lottery player splurges on $50 ticket and wins life-changing prize at FL Publix."