Coral Springs woman turns a $1 QuickPick ticket into a $24,351 prize after matching all five numbers in the Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 drawing
Coral Springs, Florida – A routine stop at a Coral Springs grocery store turned into a life-changing moment for one local resident after a $1 lottery ticket won a share of a statewide jackpot.
Donna Concetta Kowalsky of Coral Springs won $24,351 in the Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 evening drawing held on Sunday, June 28. Her ticket matched all five winning numbers — 7, 18, 29, 31 and 36 — earning her a portion of the game’s top prize.
The winning ticket was purchased at Publix #1311. According to Florida Lottery records, Kowalsky chose the cash-option payout.
What makes the win even more surprising is that the ticket was a QuickPick, meaning the numbers were selected automatically by the lottery terminal rather than chosen by the player. Sometimes the machine’s random selection turns out to be the lucky one.
Kowalsky was not the only big winner in the drawing. Three other Fantasy 5 tickets sold elsewhere in Florida also matched all five numbers, causing the jackpot to be split evenly among four winners statewide.
The Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 is one of the state’s more accessible lottery games, with tickets costing just $1. Drawings are held twice daily, once at midday and again in the evening. Players can either select five numbers between 1 and 36 themselves or choose the QuickPick option and let the machine generate the combination.
Unlike some lottery games with fixed jackpots, the Fantasy 5 top prize changes from drawing to drawing based on ticket sales. When more than one ticket matches all five winning numbers, the jackpot is divided among the winners, as happened in Sunday’s drawing.
Lottery tickets are available throughout Florida at grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores. Players can verify their numbers through the Florida Lottery’s website or by visiting any authorized lottery retailer.
For winners, timing also matters. Florida Lottery rules give players 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prizes. Any prize of $600 or more, including Kowalsky’s winning ticket, must be claimed either at a Florida Lottery district office or by mail.
For Kowalsky, a single dollar spent on a QuickPick ticket at a neighborhood Publix ended with a five-figure payout and a memorable spot among Florida’s latest lottery winners.
