LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville man who spent $20 for a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket last week won the game's top prize.
The man doesn't want to be identified, but told officials with the Kentucky Lottery he nearly had a panic attack when he realized he'd won the $200X game's top prize of $1 million. He bought the winning ticket at Cox's Smokers Outlet on Westport Road.
"It’s incredible, the best month of my life," he told Lottery officials.
The lucky winner said he was at home in the kitchen when he scratched off the winning numbers. "I was waiting for my wife to call to talk about what to fix for dinner so while standing at the counter, I scratched the ticket off," he told Lottery officials.
On the second row of his ticket, he matched the number 43 and began to scratch off the prize amount below. "I saw the zeroes and literally walked away. Am I losing my mind? I was freaking out. I had to sit down, I started to have a panic attack," he said.
He had to check the ticket a few times before realizing he actually won. When he told his wife, she didn't believe him. She wanted to see a picture, but he couldn't send her one because of a poor internet connection.
"So I sat it on the kitchen counter and waited for her to get home. She looked at the ticket and with her eyes wide open, looks at me. She freaked out. We were like, what do we do now?"
He claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters two days later, opting to take the game’s lump sum cash payment of $914,000. He received a check for $648,940 after taxes.
The couple plans to invest the money, but have plans for some of it to be used for fun, calling it "make me happy money."
Winners have 180 days to claim their prize. Lottery officials say players should immediately sign the back of winning tickets.
Cox’s Smokers Outlet will receive a $9,140 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
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