RICHMOND, Ky. — A couple in Richmond, Ky. have decided to "pay it forward" after they won hundreds of thousands of dollars on a scratch-off ticket.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought a $20 Wild Numbers 100X ticket at Gasoline Alley in Winchester on Dec. 3.
He said he's won $1,000 on the ticket before, but he had his eyes on a larger prize this time.
“It’s amazing…life-changing money,” he said. “I kept telling my wife, ‘One of these days, I’m going to hit the big one!’”
The lucky man said playing the Kentucky Lottery is a part of his usual weekend routine. When he scratched this ticket in the store; however, there was nothing typical about what happened next.
“I scratched the next number, and it was five times $10,000,” he said. “I knew immediately that the next prize up is the top prize. I was like, ‘Oh my, God!’ And the girl behind the counter said, ‘What’s wrong?’ And, I said, ‘I just hit $500,000!’”
The man left the store and decided to surprise his family with the news of his big win. He said he gathered his family in the kitchen to tell them.
“I have something to talk to you all about,” the man said. “I was really serious. I said, ‘Do you remember a year ago or so that I hit $10,000 twice? Well, I just hit $500,000!’ It was pretty amazing.”
The man's wife said he celebrated his win by making the valuable ticket into a fun fashion statement.
“He wore it like a necklace around the house,” she said. “He taped it to his shirt, I was like, ‘go put that in the safe right now!’”
The couple has generous plans for their winnings. They said they plan on giving a portion of the money to members of their family including their parents, children and close relatives to use towards paying off medical and education expenses.
“We believe in paying it forward,” the woman said. “We can’t keep all that money ourselves.”
The couple walked away with a check for $357,500 after taxes. Gasoline Alley will receive $5,000 for selling the winning ticket.
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