LEXINGTON, Ky. — Christmas certainly came early for one lucky Lexington couple!
Tony Snead, who works as a chef, needed groceries, so him and his wife Amber went to Kroger early Sunday. They were on their way home when they realized they had forgotten something. The couple stopped at Crossroad IGA on Abigail Way in Lexington since it was close to their home to pick up the missing item.
Amber ran into the store and stopped at the vending machine on her way out. She told lottery officials she never buys scratch-off tickets unless they are holiday-themed.
“We sat down to watch the Bengals game yesterday, and I started to scratch it off,” Amber said. “It was like the third one that I scratched off. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’”
Amber saw the auto symbol on the Kentucky Lottery’s 25 Days of Winning scratch-off ticket indicating she won the game’s top prize of $125,000!
“I called [Tony] over. We could not believe it,” Amber said. “I mean, we still didn’t believe it until we took it down to the Shell station and they confirmed that it was a winner.”
“The lady’s eyes popped out. She pulled us to the side and quietly told us to sign it.” Tony said. “I honestly couldn’t believe it. The first thing, I was like, we’re getting our food truck."
Lottery officials said Tony worked as a chef for the University of Kentucky basketball team for seven years until he switched to a new job this year. The couple said the dream has always been to get a food truck of their own.
“That’s just my passion, I love elevating food, and seeing people’s reaction to food," Tony said. "I’m just ready for it."
The couple told lottery officials they also want to use the money to go on vacation and have the "trip of a lifetime."
After taxes, Amber and Tony walked away with $89,375. Officials said Crossroads IGA will receive $1,250 for selling the ticket.
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