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‘Ivy is getting a new kennel’: Florida man credits his pregnant dog for $2M lotto prize

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida man credits his pregnant dog after winning $2 million in a lucky lottery win.

Leonard Linton claimed the top prize from the 100X THE CASH Florida Lottery scratch-off game after purchasing his winning ticket from the Stop N Shop on East Howard Street in Live Oak.

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Linton said he received a call that his pregnant dachshund, Ivy, was not feeling well. To get to her as quickly as possible, Linton took a different route home and made a quick pit stop at the Stop N Shop.

“I still can’t believe it. This is life-changing, but I’m definitely getting Ivy a new kennel,” Linton said.

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The 42-year-old Pinetta man chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,645,000.00.

The store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $4,000 bonus commission.

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The $10 game launched in January and features more than $337.9 million in cash prizes, including eight top prizes of $2 million.

Scratch-off games made up 75% of ticket sales and generated more than $1.3 billion for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2020-21.

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The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $41 billion to enhance education and has sent more than 917,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

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