After unexpected scratch-off lottery win, Kentucky man spreads the wealth to strangers
A Northern Kentucky man took a big lottery win as a sign to pass on good luck to others, giving away a bit of money to strangers even before cashing his ticket.
Daniel Reffitt, of Union, told Kentucky Lottery officials he was done with a stop at Meijer grocery store recently when he opted to purchase a ticket from the store’s vending machine, according to a Friday release from the agency.
While Reffitt thought to go for a Fast Play ticket, he ultimately purchased a scratch-off for Precious Metals Titanium.
“I was reaching to press the button to buy the Fast Play ticket, then I thought, ‘Nevermind’ and bought the other ticket,” he said.
Before leaving the grocery store, he scratched the ticket to find his first number was the “auto” symbol, indicating the $500,000 top game prize.
In Precious Metals Titanium, players are tasked with scratching off metal bars to match their eight winning numbers. The overall odds of winning anything on the game are 1 in 2.96, according to the lottery, though most prizes range from $20 to $100. There are no $500,000 top prize tickets remaining as of Aug. 31.
Upon realizing his win, he opted to share the wealth with workers nearby, according to the release.
“I saw a few guys sitting down and gave them $100 each and told them, ‘Merry Christmas!,’” he told lottery officials.
The moment was followed by a selfie with the winning ticket and good news for Reffitt’s wife, who thought he was “the luckiest man in the world.”
Reffitt recently collected his winnings from Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville in the form of a check for $357,500 after taxes. He said he plans to pay bills with the winnings.
The Meijer that sold the ticket is also a winner, getting a $5,000 bonus.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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