KY man scratches off cookout-themed lottery ticket to find he can now buy a new home
A Kentucky couple plans to purchase a new home thanks to recent winnings from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Leslie Berryman, of Lawrenceburg, purchased a $5 Grillin’ & Chillin’ scratch-off ticket in June at the Five Star located at 40 SK Lane in Russell Springs, according to a June 30 release from Kentucky Lottery.
He took the cookout-themed ticket, along with others he had purchased, home to scratch in the company of his fiancé, Krystal Luster.
“I scratched it off by just going across without hitting the prizes and got all 15 steaks. I told her and she said, ‘Don’t get excited, it might just be dollars,’” he told lottery officials.
It was dollars — $75,000 of them to be exact, the game’s top prize.
“I hit the first and it said $2,500. I was like, oh my god, it’s $5,000,” Berryman said, per the release. “All across the first row were $2,500’s and I thought, ‘I think I hit the max.’”
In Grillin’ and Chillin’, scratching of a steak symbol doubles one’s prizes. The game’s overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 3.76, but most range from $5 to $10. The lottery reports as of Monday, no top prizes in the game remain.
As his suspected prize continued to grow, Berryman said he turned the ticket over and scratched his others before returning to it and discovering he has snagged $75,000. He told lottery officials it took a moment for his win to sink in.
“We’ve struggled all of our lives and we’re finally at a place where we don’t need the money, but it will make a big difference in our lives,” Luster, said.
After taxes, the couple collected a check for $53,625 at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville recently.
They told officials they will use the money as a down payment on a home.
The Five Star that sold the winning ticket will get a $750 prize.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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