After winning top lottery prize, Kentucky man plans to pay it forward by gifting family
A part of one Richmond man’s normal weekend routine ended with a $500,000 Kentucky Lottery win.
The man, who asked lottery officials to withhold his name, purchased a $20 Wild Numbers 100X ticket at Gasoline Alley in Winchester recently, according to a Monday release from the state lottery.
While he’s already won $1,000 on the same game before, he said he was optimistic about one day claiming the top prize.
“I kept telling my wife, ‘One of these days, I’m going to hit the big one!’” he told Kentucky Lottery.
The man scratched off the lottery ticket in the store soon after purchasing.
“I scratched the next number, and it was five times $10,000,” he said. “I knew immediately that the next prize up is the top prize. I was like, ‘Oh my, God!’ And the girl behind the counter said, ‘What’s wrong?’ And, I said, ‘I just hit $500,000!’”
The Richmond man shared the news with his family shortly after and boasted of his prize before he claimed it.
“He wore it like a necklace around the house,” the man’s wife said, per the lottery release.
The odds of winning any prize on a Wild Numbers 100X ticket are 1 in 3.7, and prizes range from $20 to the top $500,000 prize, according to Kentucky Lottery’s website. One top prize remains as of Monday.
The man collected a $357,500 check on his win after taxes. The couple is planning on giving parts of the prize to family members for them to use for medical bills and educational expenses.
“We believe in paying it forward,” the man’s wife said.
Gasoline Alley, the retailer, will get $5,000 for selling the winning ticket.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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