A Jefferson County woman is celebrating a lifechanging surprise after winning more than $900,000 playing the Kentucky Lottery’s online Instant Play game, Bank Boost!.
After receiving $20 in Kentucky Lottery Bonus Bucks in her online Fun Club account, she decided to use them to try the new game that had just launched.
“I told myself, okay, I’ll just wager a dollar on this one since it’s new,” said the woman who wished to remain anonymous.
What happened next left her stunned.
“It started spinning, spinning and then that big square popped up. I had read the (game) rules, so I knew something big was happening. Then I saw the gray disk that said ‘Jackpot’ and I just watched the numbers climb,” she recalled. “It took about a minute for it to stop spinning. It was a fun minute but a hot minute, too.”
Her husband was in another room of their home. “I just sat there in my office trying to breathe,” she said. “I walked around the house for 30 minutes before I could even tell him.”
To confirm what she was seeing, she checked her email and saw her win. Online lottery wins are confirmed via email. Still in disbelief, the couple immediately called the Kentucky Lottery, where a representative confirmed she had won $900,392.68.
“I couldn’t believe it. This is life-changing,” she told Lottery officials.
After sharing the news with her son and daughter – both of whom were just as shocked – she decided to take a few days to let the moment sink in before claiming her prize, just over $650,000 after taxes.
“I was nervous that if I didn’t go ahead and claim it, I was going to get hit by a bus and nobody was getting the money,” she joked.
The winner says financial security for her family is her top priority. She plans to pay off all her debts and retire as originally planned in two years. “I can breathe a little easier.”
She and her husband already had a vacation planned for their anniversary, but now, she says, “it’s going to be a much nicer trip.”
She has long played Kentucky Lottery online games and with her win plans to take a brief break. “I’m not going to mess with my karma,” she joked.
