Kentucky

It’s no jackpot, but a lucky woman in Kentucky won a Powerball prize worth $2M

A Kentucky woman from Christian County won $2 million playing the Powerball Wednesday, according to state lottery officials who delivered the news via a surprise phone call.

“Oh my goodness!,” the woman can be heard saying in a video lottery officials took of the call and shared with the media Friday.

While the woman’s first name was used in the video, it wasn’t immediately clear Friday whether she had opted to remain anonymous or not. State lottery officials said they would release more information about the win in the future.

“For now, we are just sticking with her first name,” Travis Ragsdale, the Kentucky Lottery’s chief spokesperson, told the Herald-Leader an email early Friday afternoon.

The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing was a record $1.2 billion, reportedly the third largest grand prize in the game’s history. No one ultimately won the jackpot, however, so it’s growing ahead of the next drawing Saturday. Drawings are streamed live at Powerball.com at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

In the video capturing the call, the woman’s voice audibly cracks with emotion as she conveys her excitement to tell her husband the news: “I can’t wait to call my husband and let him know.”

The woman tells lottery officials she’d never dream of winning the lottery and only plays occasionally, buying a ticket here or there. The highest amount she’d won playing the Powerball up to that point was $30, she said.

The jackpot ahead of Saturday’s drawing has reached an estimated $1.4 billion with a cash payout of $614 million.

This story may be updated.

If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.

Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.

Aaron Mudd
Lexington Herald-Leader
Aaron Mudd was a service journalism reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Centre Daily Times and Belleville News-Democrat. He was based at the Herald-Leader in Lexington, and left the paper in February 2026. Support my work with a digital subscription
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