After Winning $1M FL Lottery Prize, Sarasota Air Force Veteran On 'Cloud Nine'

SARASOTA, FL — A 68-year-old Air Force veteran from Sarasota claimed a $1 million top prize playing The Fastest Road to $1,000,000 scratch-off game, Florida Lottery said in a news release.

Ricky Lansford chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $790,000 at the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

Lansford told Florida Lottery he was on "cloud nine" after his win.

"We couldn't believe it," he said. "My wife and I noticed a lot of people winning $1 million from The Fastest Road to $1,000,000 scratch-off game, so we decided to try our luck. Now we're celebrating our own big win!"

He purchased his winning scratch-off ticket from the Shell gas station at 3440 South Osprey Ave. in Sarasota. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.

The Fastest Road to $1,000,000, a $30 game, launched in February 2020 and features 155 top prizes of $1 million and over $948 million in cash prizes The game's overall odds of winning are one-in-2.79.