Man's $1 turns into $686,000 - Pensacolian claims state lottery jackpot

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 posted 01:39 AM EST

Bennie McCormick Jr., 72, traveled less than a block from his home to the bustling Red Dot Grocery at 3006 N. Davis Highway to buy a $1 Mega Money ticket.

The game ticket would result in $686,196.30 in his pocket, the Florida Lottery announced on Monday.

McCormick was lying in bed watching television at 10 p.m. on Friday when the winning numbers flashed across the screen.

"I started shaking," he told lottery representatives. "I couldn't believe it."

McCormick had used his wedding anniversary and family birthdays to choose the magic numbers: 1-4-27-33. The money will pay for a new bass boat and car and help his children, he said.

The last notable win at Red Dot was in October, but at $5,050, it is paltry in comparison, said Minh Nguyen, a clerk at the grocery store.

With two drawings a week, the Mega Money game is not as popular as Cash 3 and Play 4, games that offer daily drawings, so Nguyen was surprised when he found out about the winner on Monday morning.

"I didn't think it would be from here," he said. "You're always hearing about it happening somewhere else. I'd like to see the guy and congratulate him."

Florida lottery games are popular at the store -- in a span of five minutes on Monday afternoon, 11 customers purchased tickets to the state's lottery games.

BellSouth employee Thomas Hollinhead, 61, buys about 35 tickets a day, he said.

When Hollinhead learned of the big win, he wanted to know if the winner was one of his relatives so he could try for a piece of the prize.

"That's retirement right there," he said.

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