James Kenneth Marlowe of Demopolis, Alabama is $9 million richer after he chose the winning numbers for Florida's Florida Lotto, claiming the Sept. 4 lotto jackpot, estimated at $18 million.
Marlowe, a self-employed electrician, chose to take his winnings in a one-time lump sum payment option, in the amount of $9,762,144. He purchased his winning Florida Lotto ticket at: State Line O'Yes Lotto in McDavid, Escambia County. The winning numbers were: 01 - 06 - 08 - 11 - 12 - 37.
According to Marlowe, he has played the exact same numbers since the Florida Lottery began more than 16 years ago. He said he checked the winning numbers in the newspaper and then again at the Florida Lottery's Web site and still could not believe he had won. He then went to the retailer that he had bought his ticket from to confirm that the winning ticket had been sold from State Line O'Yes Lotto.
The 51-year-old said he plans to pay off debts, share his new wealth with his family and church and invest the remainder of his winnings.
Marlowe was reportedly still vacationing in Florida Wednesday and could not be reached for further comment.
According to Florida Lotto, total ticket sales for this jackpot generated approximately $11.8 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF). Since 1999, the Florida Lottery has contributed more than $4.8 billion to the EETF. This brings the Lottery's commitment to education revenue contributions to more than $14 billion to date. The Florida Lottery was created by a constitutional amendment in 1986 for the purpose of allowing Floridians to benefit from significant additional moneys for education.
Marlowe is the 31st Florida Lotto winner to purchase a winning ticket in Escambia County. He is the 761st Florida Lotto winner since 1988.