84 year-old woman wins Florida Lottery

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- At a press conference today, the Florida Lottery announced that the $590.5 million jackpot from the Powerball drawing held on May 18 was claimed by Gloria C. MacKenzie, 84, of Zephyrhills. MacKenzie chose to receive her winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment in the amount of $370,896,780.84.

"We are all about making dreams come true here at the Florida Lottery, and this has been a time of great excitement for Ms. MacKenzie, the Zephyrhills community and the state of Florida," said Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O'Connell. "We're thrilled that a Florida resident has won this jackpot, and we wish her every happiness with her new fortune."

The jackpot-winning Powerball Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Publix, located at 7838 Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills. The Florida Lottery retailer received a bonus incentive of $85,000 on Monday, May 20. This series of jackpot rollovers generated more than $125 million in sales for the Florida Lottery, resulting in more than $50 million for Florida's Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).

Ms. MacKenzie provided the following statement to the Florida Lottery:

"Prior to the Lottery drawing, she and her son Scott had an agreement to split any proceeds with each other.

We bought the winning ticket as a single ticket even though we bought four other tickets before the drawing. While in line at Publix, another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket.

We are grateful for this blessing of winning the Florida Lottery Powerball jackpot and appreciate the interest of the public, state of Florida and the Lottery. We hope that everyone will give us an opportunity to maintain our privacy for our family's benefit. If you have any inquiries or questions, you may contact our representatives at the law firm of Brant, Abraham, Reiter, McCormick and Johnson or the financial planning firm of Madden Advisory Services, both of Jacksonville, Florida."

Adding Powerball to the Florida Lottery's portfolio of games has been a tremendous success, benefiting players, retailers and the state's public education system. Since launching Powerball in 2009, Florida has awarded more than $1 billion in Powerball prizes, creating 105 Powerball millionaires, 21 of whom became multi-millionaires. The Florida Lottery has had seven Powerball jackpot winners. Florida retailers have received more than $111 million in Powerball sales, cashing and bonus commissions. Powerball ticket sales have generated more than $869 million for the EETF.

The next Powerball drawing will be held tonight, June 5, at 10:59 p.m. ET with a $50 million jackpot. Powerball drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Drawings are also available for viewing on the Florida Lottery website. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.

About The Florida Lottery

The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $25 billion to education and sending more than 600,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests nearly 98 percent of its revenue back into Florida's economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $40 billion in prizes and made more than 1,500 people millionaires.