Western Kentucky man paid $20 for a lottery ticket — it proved to be a 7-figure winner
A Henderson County man reported being “in shock” when he recently scratched off a winning Kentucky Lottery ticket worth $1 million.
The man, whom lottery officials said wishes to remain anonymous, bought a $20 Casino Nights ticket. It advertises a $1 million annuity payment of $50,000 per year for 20 years as its top prize. The odds of winning that prize are 1 in 400,000, according to the game’s official rules.
As a regular scratch-off player, the man was elated when he revealed three crown symbols on the ticket, meaning he’d won the game’s top prize.
“I was kind of in shock, and I got out of there,” he told lottery officials, according to a March 21 news release from the agency.
He later scanned the ticket at the store, confirming the prize amount, though still in disbelief.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” he told lottery officials when claiming his win March 3.
Rather than take the annuity, the man chose the lump sum of $700,000. After taxes, he collected a check for $504,000.
The man said he doesn’t plan to change his lifestyle and instead wants to save the winnings as a nest egg.
The Henderson County man isn’t the game’s only big winner. Last summer, a Tennessee man also took the $1 million top prize on Casino Nights.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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