LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It was most definitely a lucky day for a couple who purchased a Fast Play ticket from a Kentucky Lottery vending machine at a Lucky Mart in Mayfield, Kentucky, last week.
It happened on the morning of March 3 at the Mayfield convenience store on West Broadway, according to a news release from the Kentucky Lottery. That's where James Polk and his fiancee Maddy bought the $10 ticket that made them instant winners of $494,000.
Maddy said she wanted to "go for the green" when she put her money in the machine. "I figured I’d go for the green, so I went for Extreme Green," she said in the release.
As soon as the ticket printed, they began checking the numbers to see if it was a winner.
"I kept calling off numbers and sure enough everything matched," Maddy said.
After checking the ticket several times, the pair was pretty confident they hit the jackpot, but they took it to two gas stations to have it checked -- only to be told it was too much for the stores to pay.
A clerk at the second store told James they would need to have the ticket checked in Louisville.
"I figured it has to be the big one," James said.
The two drove from Graves County to lottery headquarters in Louisville on Monday, and received a check for $353,396.61 after taxes.
Maddy, who has two children, is excited to be able to get things they’ve been wanting and James plans to buy a truck with the winnings.
"This is by far the most exciting thing to ever happen," Maddy told lottery officials.
Lucky Mart will receive $4,942.61 for selling the winning ticket.
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