As he does every year, Bill Kelly, 58, of Ocoee bought three lottery tickets for his family's Christmas stockings. This past Christmas, one of the tickets went into his dog's stocking -- it was a winner.
Florida Lottery officials said one of Kelly's $20 tickets earned him $3 million in the $600,000,000 Gold Rush Scratch-Off game.
"Giving Florida Lottery Scratch-Off tickets as Christmas gifts is one of my holiday traditions," Kelly said in a release from lottery officials. "I always hope to at least win my money back and I play to win, but I never expected this."
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Officials said Kelly bought the winning ticket at the Publix on Silver Star Road in Ocoee.
Kelly chose to take his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $2,351,433.02.
Kelly isn't the only recent big winner in the Florida Lottery from the area. On Wednesday lottery officials said Fay Blake, 62, of Orlando won $5 million in the the Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 9.
Blake's ticket was purchased at a Publix in College Park.
