In an unexpected twist of fate, a Richmond, Ky man hit the jackpot on a Kentucky Lottery draw game ticket.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased a $2 Fast Play – BIG W!N ticket recently at the Kroger at Richmond Plaza. It was the first time he played Kentucky Lottery Fast Play, and he bought the ticket with spare change.
“I always get a Powerball ticket every time I walk out of Kroger so after I bought that I had $2 left, so I bought the Fast Play ticket,” he said. “It was a fluke, really. I had a couple of extra bucks and thought, why not?"
When he looked at the ticket, he initially thought he had won $96 and put the ticket in his pocket to cash in later.
"I had it (ticket) in my pocket until I needed it,” he said. “I thought it was $96. I went back to the store where I bought it a few days later, and they told me they couldn't cash it because it was more than they could pay out.”
The winner’s journey then took him to his local Walmart, where he asked the clerk there to scan it.
“He told me, ‘I can’t cash it either,’ that it was more they could pay. I got to looking at it (ticket) and saw where it said ‘JACKPOT.’” That’s when he finally discovered the true value of his prize. I thought it was just $96, but it turned out to be much more. I couldn't believe it!"
His Fast Play – BIG W!N ticket – matched the number 20 to win 20% of the jackpot, which was estimated at $493,113, making his winnings $98,622.
Next, he shared the exciting news with his wife.
“He told me to not trip out, so I’m already thinking it’s something bad,” she said. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s good news,” he told her. “That’s awesome, it’s really going to help us,” she said.
He and his wife came to Lottery headquarters earlier this month where he received a check for $71,007.84 after taxes.
When asked about plans for the winnings: "We've been wanting to buy a home for a long time, and this will give us more options,” his wife said. They also plan to get a new vehicle and save the rest for the future.
As for future lottery plans, the winner said, "I'll definitely keep playing Powerball and play Fast Play every now and then, but I won't go crazy. Just a ticket or two here and there."
