Lucky numbers and persistence pay off as Lexington man wins lottery prize for life
A North-Central Kentucky man received a life-changing lottery prize when a regular purchase finally turned into a win.
Billy Glenn of Lexington purchased a Kentucky Lottery Lucky For Life ticket and matched all five white balls drawn during Nov. 19’s drawing: 7, 10, 17, 24 and 26. Though he missed the ultimate prize, his lucky stroke will pay off with $25,000 a year.
According to the Kentucky Lottery, Glenn has consistently purchased Lucky For Life tickets since the game launched in the commonwealth in March 2015. Each time, his selected numbers have reflected anniversaries and jersey numbers associated with his favorite Major League Baseball players, he said.
“I’ve been playing for nine years, seven months and 29 days since the day I won Lucky For Life,” Glenn told lottery officials. “I’ve just been waiting for the dream.”
Glenn’s ticket would have won the even more lucrative grand prize of $1,000 a day for life if he had correctly picked the Lucky Ball’s number. His number, 12, narrowly missed the correct number, 13.
“I was that close to getting it all,” he said.
Glenn recently visited the Kentucky Lottery’s headquarters to claim his prize, which has a minimum payout of $25,000 a year for life over at least 20 years ($500,000). However, he chose to revive the cash option payout of $390,000, which broke down to $280,804.32 after taxes.
Glenn told lottery officials he plans to use the money to help pay off debt and complete work around the house.
“It’s been a blessing. I’ve been stressing for the last six months,” Glenn said. “One hundred thousand dollars is going to put me at ground zero. This is a nice little reset.”
The bp gas station in Lexington, located at 531 Southland Drive, received a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, the lottery said.
Similar to Powerball games, Lucky For Life tasks players with selecting five white balls between 1 and 48 and one Lucky Ball between 1 and 18. Each play costs $2 and offers prizes ranging from $4 to $1,000 a day for life.
The odds of claiming a grand prize by matching all five white balls and the Lucky Ball are roughly 1 in 30.8 million, according to the game’s rules. The odds of winning $25,000 per year are about 1 in 1.81 million, while the chances of winning the smallest prize ($4) are about 1 in 32.
Services are available in Kentucky for those who struggle with gambling.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available by calling 1-800-522-4700.
Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
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