Kentucky man wakes up to life-changing lottery news—a dizzying jackpot win
James Smith, of Bardstown, had only been playing the Kentucky Lottery for a few months when he woke up one day to life-changing news.
Smith, who likes to play the game Kentucky 5, learned he’d matched all five numbers drawn for the June 26 drawing, winning the game’s dizzying $690,369 jackpot.
Playing online, Smith received the news via email the following morning. He told lottery officials immediately began yelling for his girlfriend.
“I didn’t believe him,” his girlfriend told Kentucky Lottery officials, according to a Wednesday news release.
“I had to read it twice and she had to read it twice,” Smith added.
Smith was too excited to sleep. He wanted to share the news with his family, so he woke up his mother.
“She thought I was lying at first,” Smith said. “Everyone was happy for me.”
Friday, Smith showed up at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in downtown Louisville to collect his prize, accompanied by his girlfriend and his mother. The massive win meant he was able to bring home a check worth almost half a million dollars, $497,065.68 after taxes.
Smith isn’t quite sure yet what to do with all that money, he told the Kentucky Lottery. For now, he’s deposited the winnings into a savings account and will go from there.
He is only the latest Central Kentucky player who got a big win playing the Kentucky 5. In February, a Versailles man won more than half a million dollars after purchasing a ticket. Like Smith, the news provoked a yelp of excitement.
“Everybody probably overheard me scream,” winner Jeffrey Yeager said, according to a 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 Kentucky 5, players choose five balls between the numbers 1 and 39 or let the computer randomly pick. The game has a rolling jackpot.
Each play costs $1, and players can multiply 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. The odds of winning the game’s jackpot are quite long. According to the Kentucky Lottery’s website, they’re currently set at 1 in 575,757.
Play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER.
Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com or fill out our Know Your Kentucky form.