Kentucky

After 6-figure Kentucky Lottery jackpot win, Lexington man plans to pay off his house

A Lexington man plans to pay off his house with the money he won from a six-figure Kentucky Lottery jackpot last month.

The man drove to collect his prize at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville Nov. 13, according to a Thursday press release from the lottery. He told officials there he only wanted to be publicly identified by his first name, Steven.

Playing online, Steven put $5 on the Kentucky Lottery’s High Roller Jackpot instant play game. In the game, players uncover a cluster of three or more symbols to win a prize. Players can multiply their wins by uncovering the correct symbols, and the game features a progressive jackpot, currently estimated at $132,142.

For a $5 wager, the odds of winning $100,000, the amount the jackpot starts at, are 1 in 2 million.

In Steven’s case, he won the $261,000 jackpot available at the time.

This screenshot shows the recent win of Lexington, Ky., man playing a Kentucky Lottery instant play game and securing the jackpot. He claimed his prize Nov. 13, 2024.
This screenshot shows the recent win of Lexington, Ky., man playing a Kentucky Lottery instant play game and securing the jackpot. He claimed his prize Nov. 13, 2024. Contributed screenshot

“I was playing for the jackpot,” Steven told lottery officials. “I wasn’t really paying that much attention and next thing you know, it hit!”

“Holy crap, that just happened,” he said, recalling his reaction to the jackpot win.

Steven won a total of $261,303.10. He shared the news with a friend via a screenshot.

“I was driving, and I zoomed in and I almost wrecked. I was like no way you just did that!,” the anonymous friend told Kentucky Lottery officials.

After taxes, Steven took home a check for $188,138.24.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Steven said.

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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