KY woman who thought she won $150 on lottery ticket can’t contain joy over huge prize
An anonymous Louisville woman got the thrill of her life this week when she looked at her Kentucky Lottery ticket and discovered she’d won $150,000 — not $150, as she previously believed.
When the woman showed up at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville Wednesday, she scanned her ticket at the claims window. That’s when the reality of her huge win sunk in. According to a Friday lottery news release, the woman jumped up and down and her celebration echoed throughout the lobby.
“I’ve got happy tears,” the woman told the Kentucky Lottery employees who came out to see her. “I’m so excited, I can’t contain it.”
The night before, the woman bought a scratch-off ticket for the Red Cherry Tripler game, which cost her $10 to play.
According to the game’s official rules, players scratch off a total of 20 spots, 15 of which are marked “Your Numbers.” The remaining five are winning numbers.
If the player matches any of their numbers with any of the winning numbers, they win the corresponding prize amount beside that matching number. Players can double their prize amount by revealing a matching red number, and their prize is tripled if they scratch off a red triple cherry symbol. If the player reveals a double cherry symbol among their numbers, the player wins all 15 prizes shown instantly.
A player can win up to 15 times and up to $150,000 on each ticket. The overall odds of any win on the game are 1 in 3.20.
The Louisville woman scratched off her ticket to reveal two red triple cherry symbols, which multiplied her two $20,000 prizes by three, bring her to $120,000. She then matched a red number, 39, which doubled the adjacent prize of $15,000 to $30,000, giving her a grand total of $150,000 in winnings.
Initially though, the woman thought she’d won much less.
“I was in the car, it was dark, and I thought I only had $150,” she said. “When I got home in the light, I saw the comma. I couldn’t believe.”
Leaving Kentucky Lottery headquarters the next day with a big check, the woman said she was going to treat herself to a spa day to work out her next move, which is likely a trip to a dealership to buy a new vehicle.
The Speedway on Arthur Street in Louisville, which sold the winning ticket, will also get a bonus of $1,500.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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