Home alone, Kentucky man shocked when he scratches off a lottery ticket to 6-figure win
A Kentucky man was recently left in disbelief after winning big on a scratch-off ticket as part of his evening wind down routine.
The man, an anonymous Louisville resident, told Kentucky Lottery officials he likes to cap off his day by scratching off lottery tickets and sipping a Big Red in front of the television. Late last month, that routine took quite a turn.
The man purchased two tickets Oct. 25, a Red Cherry Tripler and a Bluegrass Blowout, both $10 lottery offerings.
That night, as he scratched his tickets, he was left in disbelief when the Bluegrass Blowout revealed a $200,000 prize.
Bluegrass Blowout players are tasked with matching their numbers to the ticket’s winning numbers, and the game includes multipliers and automatic win amounts of $25, $50 and more. The $200,000 pot is the game’s top prize, but winnings start at $10. The odds of any win on the game are 1 in 3.12, according to Kentucky Lottery, and most prizes range from $10 to $50.
The man, shocked by his win, didn’t immediately know what to think.
“I just scratched it and just sat there,” he said. “Nobody was home. And I just sat there saying, ‘Is it real, I don’t know, is it real?’”
He confirmed his win by scanning the ticket on the lottery’s app, and surprised his wife when she arrived home.
“I told my wife, and she just started crying. She’s like, ‘Is this real?’ ‘Yeah, it is real,’ I said. She just couldn’t believe it,” the man told lottery officials, per a Friday release.
The win is one full of meaning for the Louisville resident, who is celebrating his sobriety.
“Yesterday I celebrated 14 years sober. I passed the Healing Place on my way here and I was there for nine months, and silver chipped out of there. So, it really feels like life is coming full circle,” he said. “Here I am. I want to tell people that I am sober because there might be people out there that do not know that there is [a] solution and a future for them.”
After taxes, the man collected a check for $144,000 from the lottery’s Louisville headquarters. The money will be used to invest and for the couple’s home.
“I want to make sure it counts for something. I really do. I want it to change my life, and I think it will,” he said.
The man purchased the winning ticket at a Thorntons location, which will get a $2,000 bonus.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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