A $10 game paid off in millions for one woman after a stop at her local gas station.
Geraldine Gimblet of Lakeland, Florida, won a life-changing $2 million top prize from the $2,000,000 BONUS CASHWORD Scratch-Off game after she insisted that a clerk at Pipkin Road Beverage Castle dig a little deeper for one more lottery ticket.
Gimblet shared her winning story with the Florida Lottery
when she visited lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim her prize.“At first, the gas station clerk thought there were no tickets left, but I asked him to double check because I like the crossword games the best,” Gimblet said. “He found the last one!”
Before the big win, Gimblet took a major hit to her finances when her daughter’s health journey presented them with an expensive bill.
“The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer. My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick,” Gimblet’s teary-eyed daughter told lottery officials.
“I’m just so happy for her!” she added.
Along with her daughter, Gimblet was joined by her granddaughter to claim the prize. The celebration at the headquarters continued as Chief of Staff Reggie Dixon joined the Gimblets after hearing her story.
Gimblet purchased her winning ticket from Pipkin Road Beverage Castle, a gas station located in Polk County at 1170 West Pipkin Road in Lakeland. The $2,000,000 BONUS CASHWORD game allows players to snag one of the featured eight top prizes of $2 million. The game also features 20 second-tier prizes of $100,000. The overall odds of winning the cashword game are 1-in-3.12.
Gimblet chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,645,000.00, and the retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning scratch-off ticket.