Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky couple able to pay off their mortgage after six-figure lottery win

Rosemarie Miller, poses with her husband Michael, after winning more than $175,000 playing the Kentucky Lottery.
Rosemarie Miller, of Somerset, Ky., poses with her husband, Michael, at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville after winning more than $175,000 playing on online game recently. Kentucky Lottery

A woman in Eastern Kentucky now plans to pay off her house after a recent six-figure Kentucky Lottery win.

Rosemarie Miller, of Somerset, recently wagered $2 on Juicy Wins Jackpot, one of the Kentucky Lottery’s instant play games. She told lottery officials she likes playing online, a news release from the agency said Thursday.

The word “jackpot” flashed across her phone’s screen, and Miller flew into a frenzy when she learned just how much money she’d won — $175,068.

The game is a progressive jackpot, according to its rules, and the odds vary by play amount, but for a 50-cent wager, the odds of a jackpot win are 1 in 10 million.

“I jumped up and ripped the headphone set out of the computer,” Miller said. “It was pretty unexpected.”

Miller showed the win to her husband, who was in disbelief.

“She showed me, and I said, ‘That’s not real,’” Michael Miller told lottery officials. “You’re just pulling my chain.”

The two were left in some suspense for a few hours given their internet was out and they could not check for the confirmation email from the Kentucky Lottery. But later that evening, the shock still hadn’t worn off, at least not for Miller’s husband.

“He still didn’t believe it,” Rosemarie Miller said.

On Oct. 25, the couple drove to Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville to claim their prize, a requirement for big wins. After taxes, Rosemarie Miller still took home a six-figure check totaling $124,049.06, according to the release.

She added the couple’s first move will be to pay off their home’s mortgage.

“We’re going straight from here to there,” Rosemarie Miller she told lottery officials.

Kentucky Lottery has announced several big winners in October, including another Eastern Kentucky woman who was gifted a ticket worth $50,000 for her birthday.

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? Send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com or fill out our Know Your Kentucky form.

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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