According to lottery spokeswoman Alecia Collins, the agency doesn’t track how often individual players buy tickets. She explained that people who purchase more tickets naturally have more chances to win.
Still, some statisticians say the number of repeat winners seems almost impossible to ignore.
Ron Wasserstein, who leads the American Statistical Association, said the math simply doesn’t add up for certain players.
“The probability of that is so small as to make it unbelievable,” he said.
Big Wins, Bigger Questions
In fiscal year 2024, the Florida Lottery brought in around $9.4 billion in sales, with scratch-off games making up nearly 70% of the total.
A months-long investigation by Fresh Take Florida reviewed records of players who repeatedly claimed large scratch-off prizes. Reporters contacted many of the top winners, but most either declined interviews or quickly hung up. Others insisted they simply play a lot and get lucky.
But experts point out how difficult even a single major win can be.
- Winning $1,000 often means beating odds of 1 in 1,500 or worse
- Winning $20,000 can require odds closer to 1 in 120,000
That’s why repeated wins have sparked debate over whether it’s pure luck — or something more.
Could It Really Be Legit?
Wasserstein admitted there are scenarios where repeat wins could happen fairly.
Some players:
- Buy tickets in bulk
- Focus on games with unclaimed jackpots
- Even stumble upon discarded winning tickets
But he still says the chances remain incredibly slim, even for heavy players.
Mathematician Skip Garibaldi agreed, saying frequent winners would likely need to spend enormous amounts of money to achieve those results honestly.
Lottery Scams Are Real
Investigators and court records show Florida has dealt with several lottery fraud schemes over the years.
In one 2017 case in Orlando, Laquaris Jackson stole roughly 200 scratch-off tickets from a convenience store. Police said he later recruited strangers to help scratch the tickets. He eventually pleaded no contest to dealing in stolen property.
Another strange case surfaced in 2024 when Kira Enders tried to claim a $1 million prize in Pensacola using what investigators said were two different tickets taped together.
Enders argued the ticket had been damaged in a storm and accidentally ripped apart. Authorities disagreed, charging her with fraud-related offenses. She later received probation after pleading no contest.
Hidden Deals Behind Winning Tickets
Some schemes are harder to detect.
Lottery watchdog Dawn Nettles said it’s common for people to secretly sell winning tickets to someone else for cash.
Why?
Because the original winner may:
- Owe back taxes
- Have unpaid child support
- Want to stay anonymous
- Avoid government attention
A 2018 affidavit from a Florida Lottery investigator even stated that players and retailers sometimes help others cash tickets to avoid state debts.
Undercover Sting in Escambia County
In 2021, authorities in Escambia County conducted an undercover operation involving Milan Khatri.
Investigators presented a fake $1,000 winning ticket at a convenience store. Khatri allegedly offered the undercover officer $700 for the ticket so he could claim the prize himself.
He later pleaded guilty to illegally attempting to transfer lottery prize rights.
Records showed Khatri had already claimed 10 winning tickets totaling $10,000 between 2019 and 2021.
Lawmakers Tried to Crack Down
Florida lawmakers proposed bills aimed at increasing penalties for lottery fraud, including making certain scams a third-degree felony.
However, both measures failed to move forward in committee.
Child Support and a $20,000 Ticket
One of the most talked-about cases involved Aubrey Pierce from Tampa.
Pierce bought a Gold Rush Multiplier scratch-off ticket that landed a $20,000 prize. But investigators said he owed around $70,000 in child support.
Authorities claimed Pierce gave the ticket to longtime friend Keith O’Connor to cash instead, helping him avoid garnishment.
According to investigators, the move prevented money from reaching the mothers of Pierce’s children.
O’Connor was eventually fired, though prosecutors said they found no proof he knowingly tried to help Pierce dodge child support obligations.
Some Players Say It’s Just Luck
Not every repeat winner has faced criminal charges.
Julio Vicente Nunez, a contractor from Santa Rosa Beach, claimed 100 scratch-off prizes worth about $179,000 between 2015 and December 2025.
Nunez said he personally bought nearly all the tickets. However, he admitted cashing a couple of winning tickets for others who didn’t want government agencies tracking the winnings.
“If you owe the government money, they’re going to take it,” he explained.
Records show Nunez visited lottery claim centers 84 times since 2015.
A Habit That Raises Eyebrows
Another notable player, George Bunassar, cashed 178 winning scratch-off tickets worth roughly $251,000 since 2016.
He described lottery playing as a habit and said he sometimes buys:
- 10 tickets at once
- Entire books of scratch-off tickets
Garibaldi estimated Bunassar may have needed to spend nearly $1,500 per day over several years to produce those results fairly.
“That could be true,” Garibaldi said about the possibility of extreme spending and gambling addiction. “But it’s probably not.”
Login