BELLEVIEW, FL — Sarah Mallory pulled into a gas station on her Harley Davidson expecting nothing more than a quick stop. She left a millionaire.
The 57-year-old Ocklawaha resident claimed a $1 million prize from the Florida Lottery on March 31, 2025, after purchasing a $5 Monopoly Secret Vault scratch-off at Belleview Food Store. The win came down to a shiny dime lying heads-up beneath her motorcycle in the parking lot.
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A Collector’s Instinct Pays Off
Mallory and her husband collect dimes. When they spotted the coin on the pavement at 10015 E. Highway 25, they took it as a sign.
“As we pulled into the store, we noticed a shiny dime had landed on heads underneath our Harley,” Mallory told lottery officials. “My husband and I enjoy collecting dimes, and that symbol changed everything, encouraging us to buy a ticket.”
She walked into the store, bought the scratch-off, and revealed a $1 million top prize. The odds of winning any prize on the $5 ticket stood at 1-in-3.95. Six top prizes of $1 million existed across all tickets in the game.
Mallory chose the lump sum payment of $576,900 over the annuity option. Belleview Food Store received a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.
The Monopoly Secret Vault Series
Florida Lottery launched the Monopoly Secret Vault family in July 2024 with five ticket prices ranging from $1 to $20. The series offered more than $685 million in combined prizes.
Prize Structure by Ticket Price:
- $1: Top prize of $10,000 (20 available)
- $2: Top prize of $100,000 (8 available)
- $5: Top prize of $1 million (6 available)
- $10: Top prize of $2 million (4 available)
- $20: Top prize of $5 million (4 available)
The $5 version carries $132 million in total prizes across all tiers. Players can enter non-winning tickets into bonus drawings for chances at cash prizes up to $25,000.
Where the Money Goes
Scratch-off games make up 72 percent of Florida Lottery ticket sales. Since 1988, these instant games have generated more than $18.95 billion for the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, which finances public education programs.
Winners have 180 days from a game’s end date to claim prizes. The cash option typically pays 55 to 65 percent of the advertised jackpot, while the annuity spreads the full amount across multiple years.
Marion County, where Mallory lives about eight miles from the Belleview store, has produced multiple lottery winners across various scratch-off games in recent years.
The Bottom Line
A dime bought Mallory more than just a lottery ticket. It bought her a $5 scratch-off that beat odds of nearly 1-in-4 and delivered a six-figure payday. The florida woman who won the monopoly lottery walked into that gas station as a collector of coins and walked out collecting a life-changing prize.
Five $1 million top prizes remain in circulation for the Monopoly Secret Vault $5 game.
