Kentucky Lottery Winner Checked Scratch-Off Ticket ‘50 Times’ to Ensure He Won

A Kentucky husband became a bundle of nerves after winning the lottery. 

The man and his wife, who chose to remain anonymous, won $1.5 million playing the Kentucky Lottery’s $20 Wild Cash 200X scratch-off game.

The couple, who have been married for more than 30 years, bought the winning ticket at a Git N Go on 855 E. Laurel Road in London, Ky.

Feeling disbelief, the husband told the Kentucky Lottery that he checked the ticket “50 times to make sure my eyes weren’t bad.”

The man explained that he broke tradition, purchasing the $20 ticket from a vending machine instead of his usual $10 tickets from the counter.

The decision earned him and his wife the $1.5 million top prize. Instead of receiving annual payments of $75,000 for 20 years, the couple chose the $1,025,000 lump sum option, which after taxes, amounted to $738,000.

While deciding on a safe place to keep his winning ticket before turning it in to the Kentucky Lottery in Louisville, the longtime lottery player recalled pondering, “What if the house burns down? What if I put it in my pocket and rub the numbers off? What if my truck gets stolen?”

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Now, having received the check for their prize, the man explained how he and his wife plan to spend their hefty winnings.

“I don’t have to [worry about] the electric bill,” he said, adding that they’ll also pay off their home and car as well as consider retiring. 

He continued, “I promised the Lord that if I ever won big, that I would [help] the elderly and children. We’re actually going to just live how we’ve been living, but with the ability to help others.”