Kentucky man isn’t dreaming, but he is retiring following huge lottery ticket win

Aaron Mudd
·2 min read
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A Frankfort man now plans to retire after he won $1 million playing a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off game.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought a Mega Millionaire scratch-off ticket for $30 April 28. According to the Kentucky Lottery’s website, the overall odds for winning ant prize with a Mega Millionaire play are 1 in 3.58.

Instead of immediately scratching off the ticket, the man took it to the in-store scanner, and when the words “see KLC Corp” flashed on the screen, he knew he’d just won big.

“I said, ‘Well this is going to be a pretty good one,’” the man told Kentucky Lottery officials, according to a news release from the agency issued Tuesday.

Scratching off his ticket, the man discovered he’d just won the game’s top $1 million prize. The experience felt surreal, the man said.

A Kentucky man recently won $1 million on this Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket.
A Kentucky man recently won $1 million on this Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket.

“I thought I was dreaming, and I was going to wake up,” he said.

The next day, when he showed up at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville to claim his prize, the man opted for the lump sum payment of $871,000. After taxes, he received a check for $627,120.

Before winning, retirement seemed like a distant dream for the man.

“I’ve been planning to retire but didn’t have the financial means to do it and now I do,” he told Kentucky Lottery officials.

Now, the man said he plans to pay off his house and spend more time on the golf course.

The retailer that sold the winning ticket, the Kroger on U.S. Highway 127 in Frankfort, will receive a $8,710 bonus.

As of May 13, there is still one prize worth $871,000 remaining for the Kentucky Lottery’s Mega Millionaire game.

The game has been active since May 12, 2022, and according to its description on the Kentucky Lottery website, will be gradually phased out. The last day to purchase a ticket for the game is Sept. 30, and the last day to claim a prize is March 31, 2025.

Kentucky Lottery total sales exceeded $1.8 billion last year.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Problem Gambling helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER.

Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.