LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky woman was truly stunned after she won big in the lottery last month.
Latoyar Waddell stopped at North Main Marathon in Hopkinsville and, while waiting in line to pay, decided to buy a $50 Millionaire Club ticket. She told lottery officials she doesn’t usually spend $50 on lottery tickets but "took a chance" that day.
She started to scratch off her ticket in the store when she revealed two matching prizes in the bonus area, indicating that she won $10,000.
“I actually thought, never playing that game, that I had to match all of the spots in the bonus area to win," Waddell said. “I didn’t get excited or anything and I’m still scratching. I got down to the five hundred times $20 and that’s when I was like, I won something.”
After revealing a second 500X $20, she took the ticket up to the clerk to have it scanned. That's when she found out she won $50,000.
She told lottery officials she continued to scan the ticket over and over again using the Kentucky Lottery’s app.
“I literally couldn’t believe it," Waddell said. "I had to keep [scanning] because I was afraid maybe it’s not going to say that I won tomorrow."
Due to the unexpected surprise of her win, Waddell had to call her sister to come pick her up from the store because she wasn’t able to drive.
“I almost passed out. I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I was really numb. I couldn’t even go to work that night.”
After taxes, Waddell ended up walking away with a check for $36,000.
She plans to buy a vehicle and spoil her first grandchild, who is due later this year.
North Main Marathon will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.
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