‘I scanned it again.’ Shocked Kentucky woman takes top prize in her regular lottery game

A woman from Winchester beat the odds of approximately 1 in 1.3 million to win $225,000 playing Kentucky Cash Ball 225 Dec. 19.

The winner, who plays the cash ball game regularly, wishes to remain anonymous.

She checked her ticket, which she purchased at Gasoline Alley in Winchester, late that night and was shocked to find she had won.

“I kind of glanced at my ticket and saw a couple numbers match,” she said, according to a Thursday Kentucky Lottery press release. “I did a double take, and I was like, wait a minute, I have all these numbers.”

She woke her husband up to tell him about the big win and he “didn’t really know what was going on,” he told lottery officials.

“I thought she was crying,” the husband said.

After handing her husband his glasses, the ticket and her phone, which displayed the winning numbers, they both expressed shock.

The winning player signed her ticket and put it in a safety deposit box at her bank after being advised to wait until January to cash it by her tax professional.

It was anxiety-inducing to drop her ticket off, but she felt relief upon picking it up and reconfirming her win.

“When I got it out at the bank in the parking lot, I scanned it again and it still said that I won,” she said.

She received her $162,000.72 after-tax check in January, and her ticket won her an extra $1 for matching the Cash Ball on another set of numbers.

The couple plans to pay off bills and “may do a few things around the house” with their winnings, according to the Kentucky Lottery.

Gasoline Alley will receive $2,250 for selling the winning ticket.

Kentucky Cash Ball 225

The Kentucky Cash Ball 225 is only available to residents of the commonwealth and is drawn daily. Plays cost $1 each, and for an additional $1 you can add EZmatch for the chance to win up to $500 immediately.

The odds of winning the $225,000 gross prize are 1 in 1,309,000 per play, according to the Kentucky Lottery website.

Here are the odds of winning the game’s other prizes, per play:

• 1 in 54,542 chance of winning a $2,250 prize

• 1 in 10,556 chance of winning a $225 prize

• 1 in 440 chance of winning a $50 prize

• 1 in 469 chance of winning a $25 prize

• 1 in 20 chance of winning a $1 prize

• 1 in 73 chance of winning a $5 prize

• 1 in 42 chance of winning a free play

If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.

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