Nicholasville man’s ‘beginner’s luck’ snags him a big Kentucky Lottery prize
A man from Nicholasville who is choosing to remain anonymous recently won $50,000 on a $5 scratch-off ticket.
He bought a $5 Nutcracker Cash ticket from a Murphy USA gas station near Walmart in Nicholasville Nov. 22, according to a Dec. 16 press release from the Kentucky Lottery.
The scratch-off had 10 wreath symbols, meaning each $2,500 ultimate prize would be doubled.
“I scratched off the symbol and I scratched underneath, and it was like $2,500 and I got excited,” the man told lottery officials. “I just kept seeing $2,500’s!”
The ticket earned him the Nutcracker Cash game’s largest prize of $50,000. The Kentucky Lottery reports as of Dec. 15 two $50,000 prizes remain, although most of the game’s winning tickets are worth much less. The overall odds of winning any prize in Nutcracker Cash, starting at $5, are 1 in 3.39, according to the Kentucky Lottery.
“Oh my gosh. My heart dropped,” the man told lottery officials about realizing how big his prize was.
His mom was in disbelief when he called to tell her about his win, he said. She told him to “quit lying,” the Kentucky Lottery reports.
The lucky Nicholasville man told lottery officials he doesn’t buy lottery tickets often, and his mom called his win “beginner’s luck.”
He was anxious to claim his prize and received a check for $36,000 after taxes later that day. He plans to use the money to pay bills and invest and will also give some of it to his mom, he told officials.
The gas station that sold the ticket will receive $500.
The Nicholasville man isn’t the only recent big winner. A Lexington store, Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, sold a $50,000-winning Powerball ticket over the weekend, Kentucky Lottery officials said in a Monday social media post.
In fiscal year 2024, 70% of Kentucky Lottery proceeds went to winners, the organization reports, while 20% went to college scholarships and grant programs, 5% went to retailers that sold tickets and 5% went toward administrative costs.
If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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