A Hamilton County man thanked his lucky stars this week after winning a gargantuan $1 million cash prize on a ‘Florida 300x the Cash’ game.
The Florida Lottery announced that one Edwin Scoggin of White Springs opted to take his prize as a one-time lump-sum payment of $695,500. Scroggin bought the winning ticket at Winn-Dixie, located at 580 South Marion Street, Lake City. As a result of selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket, the retailer earned a $2,000 bonus commission.
The $30 Scratch-Off game, ‘Florida 300x the Cash’, offers over $1 billion in cash rewards, including four top prizes of $15 million and 24 prizes worth $1 million. Players have odds of 1-in-2.93 to win the luck-based game.
Scratch-off games remain a significant component of the Florida Lottery’s offerings, accounting for roughly 74% of ticket sales during the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Since their introduction, these games have distributed over $63.1 billion in prizes, made 2,175 individuals millionaires, and contributed more than $19.24 billion to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF)
Since 1988, Florida Lottery claims that they have dished out in excess of $95.7 billion in payments to players with over 4,000 people becoming millionaires as a result.
The state’s Lottery forms part of a wide and diverse range of gambling and gaming options within the region. From tribal casinos to racinos, and even innovative gambling cruises, Florida has a little of everything. While in-person wagering is allowed, online casino games are still restricted in the state which leads many bettors to play at offshore sites. Sportscasting author and casino expert Aneeca Younas explains that Florida online casinos are often licensed and registered internationally and that they are safe and easy for Sunshine State residents to use.
What are some of the other unique betting and gaming options available in the Sunshine State?
Racinos
Florida offers several racinos, a combination of racetrack and casino gaming. Most of them have slot machines and poker games and, even though not offering the full range of table games that other casinos may offer, they are popular in their own right.
Magic City Casino in downtown Miami stands out for its Las Vegas-style approach with 800 slot machines and a poker room offering Texas Hold’em along with other variants. It has a historic racetrack on site that used to feature some of the world’s top greyhounds and offers simulcasts of live horse and greyhound racing events from across the globe.
Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale Beach – although famous for its horse racing track – also offers an incredibly extensive variety of slot machines. The facility accommodates some of the most important horse races in the state.
Tribal Casinos
Florida is home to several major Class III tribal casinos, virtually all operated by the Seminole Tribe. These venues provide a variety of casino games like slots, blackjack, poker, roulette, and more. Some of the popular tribal casinos that exist within the state are:
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino: This is one of the biggest gambling facilities within the state, featuring hundreds of slot machines, high-stakes poker, and glamorous hotel rooms. In fact, the Tampa location has more than 5,000 slot machines and 179 table games to make it one of the top places for gaming action throughout the state.
Seminole Casino Brighton: A smaller but still vibrant venue in Okeechobee, this casino features 400 slot machines and various table games, including Mississippi Stud and Three-Card Poker. It also offers high-stakes bingo, which draws a regular crowd.
Casino Cruises
For something completely different, Florida casino cruises run just off the coast. Taking advantage of a friendly quirk of maritime law, these cruises sail several miles out into international waters, where full-on casino gaming is permitted. Among the most popular is the Victory Casino Cruises. This casino cruise runs daily from Port Canaveral with gamers having the ability to enjoy everything from slots to table games such as blackjack, roulette, and even craps.
A popular attraction on board the casino cruise is the poker room, where food and drinks are allowed while the passengers place their bets. These cruises usually last for five to six hours and are another form of entertainment rather than what land-based casinos offer. Victory Casino Cruises is very famous among tourists because they blend the day-at-sea feel with gaming.
Online Gambling and Sports Betting
In Florida, real-money online gambling is only permitted for sports betting, with casino games still restricted. Residents are still allowed to use offshore online casino websites, however. Sites like Ignition Casino, Bovada, and Wild Casino include huge portfolios of various types of games, including slots, poker games, and live dealer tables. These sites are licensed and regulated by offshore entities and bettors from anywhere in the world, including Florida, can log on and access these sites to take advantage of their perks and offers.
Additionally, online sports betting has been revived in Florida after the Seminole Tribe negotiated exclusive rights to offer mobile sports betting within the Sunshine State. The legality remains complicated because of challenges still pending, but this compact may have marked a way forward toward full online and retail sports betting across the state.
While online casino gaming remains in a legal gray area, offshore platforms fill that gap, and the future looks bright for sports betting after recent legal developments.
.
