JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The Florida Lottery announced that a Jacksonville couple who were parents-to-be struck gold on a popular scratch-off game.
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On Tuesday, John Stanhill, his better half Victoria Oakley, and the family dog Maya claimed a $1 million prize at lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. They chose to take the lump sum payout option of $640,000, after taxes.
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The winning 500X THE CASH scratch-off ticket was sold at the Duval Exxon gas station at 1403 3rd St. N. in Jacksonville Beach. The retailer received a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.
But the $1 million wasn’t the only winning this couple experienced.
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Victoria Oakley said, “We won the lottery -- and then we won the lottery again with our beautiful, healthy baby boy! All in three weeks’ time!”
The couple purchased the winning scratch-off three weeks before their baby was due and the timing couldn’t have been better.
“Our lottery win has been such a huge relief for us,” the couple said. “We’ve been able to fully focus on being new parents by putting our financial worries at ease.
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Both Stanhill and Oakley said they started a college fund and plan on paying off their student loans.
The $50 500X THE CASH is a scratch-off game that features more than 10 million winning tickets, with a top prize of $25 million. This ticket offers more than $1.66 billion in total cash prizes.
The Florida Lottery said the overall odds of winning are 1-in-4.23.
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