‘Everybody probably overheard me scream’ — KY man mixes up lottery game and wins big
A Versailles man pulled into a Circle K and got the thrill of his life after he decided to buy a ticket for a Kentucky Lottery draw game, winning more than half a million dollars.
“Everybody probably overheard me scream,” winner Jeffrey Yeager said, according to a Thursday Kentucky Lottery news release. “A woman came up to me and said, ‘Honey, are you OK?’ And, I said, ‘Yes, ma’am. I’m great!’”
In the Kentucky 5 draw game, players choose five balls between the numbers 1 and 39 or let the computer randomly select numbers. The game has a rolling jackpot, and at the time of the Jan. 20 drawing Mr. Yeager won, it had reached $530,000. The Versailles resident matched all five numbers to win the jackpot.
Each play costs $1, and players can multiple their winnings, excluding the jackpot, by paying an extra $1 through the Xtra Play feature. There are daily drawings, and players can check their numbers online.
According to odds for the game listed on Kentucky Lottery’s website, the odds of securing the jackpot are 1 in 575,757. The odds for winning any in the base game are about 1 in 99.
Yeager told Kentucky Lottery officials he doesn’t normally play draw games, sticking mainly to scratch-off tickets.
“I put $6 into the machine, and they didn’t have a $1 scratch-off,” he said. “I thought, well, let’s try this one.”
Yeager has Kentucky Lottery wins, but when he scanned the ticket into the gas station’s machine and the screen read, ‘Visit Kentucky Lottery Headquarters,’ he knew he’d won big. He and his wife drove to multiple lottery retailers and scanned the ticket several times to make sure they’d won.
Yeager has big plans for his winnings, including making a down payment on a house and possibly buying a new truck. After taxes, he took home a check for $381,600.
The Circle K in Versailles will receive $5,300 for selling the winning ticket.
Do you or a loved one have a gambling problem? Help is available at 1-800-662-4357.
Do you have a question about the Kentucky Lottery for our service journalism desk? Reach out to us via the Know Your Kentucky form below or send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com.