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After winning almost $700,000 in the Kentucky Lottery, this lucky winner had to read the email twice notifying him of his win!
The big jackpot win
James Smith of Bardstown has come forward to claim his prize after matching all five numbers drawn on the June 26 drawing of Kentucky 5. In doing so, he won the $690,369 jackpot for that night.
The winning numbers for the June 26 drawing were 5, 10, 29, 34, and 35. Smith purchased the Quick Pick winning ticket online. He told lottery officials that he had only been playing Kentucky 5 for a couple of months and that he always purchased two $5 Quick Pick tickets.
An email he couldn't believe
Smith found out he was a big winner the following morning when he was checking his email. He had an email from the Kentucky Lottery notifying him of his win in his inbox.
With all the scams going around, you have to question when something like this arrives in your inbox. Smith said he was so excited and yelled for his girlfriend, who didn't know what was going on.
After telling her he won the Kentucky 5 jackpot, she said she didn't believe him. Smith said:
“I had to read it twice, and she had to read it [email] twice.”
The email wasn't lying, as Smith won the big jackpot, and then he said:
“I couldn't go back to sleep, and then I had to go to work.”
Waking up the family
Since Smith couldn't sleep, no one in his family was going to be sleeping. He said he wanted to be sure to tell his family first about the big win, so he woke up his mom with the exciting news.
Smith said:
“She thought I was lying at first.”
Everyone was happy for him
In the end, everyone was happy for him and now he has his winnings in hand after making his way to the Kentucky Lottery Headquarters in Louisville recently.
Smith went to the headquarters with his mom and girlfriend and walked away with a check for $497,065.68 after taxes.
Smith said he isn't sure what he will do with his winnings and has no immediate plans. For now, he plans on putting the money in his savings account.
Putting the cherry on top
Another recent winner in the Kentucky Lottery was a man from Harrogate, Tennessee, who made his way to Middlesboro, Kentucky, to get something to eat. After stopping at Food City on North 11th Street for some chicken fingers, he saw the lottery vending machine as he was walking out.
That is when the lucky man purchased five of the $10 Red Cherry Tripler scratch-offs. He told state lottery officials:
“Something told me to pick that one.”
It was a good choice, as he scratched the tickets later while sitting in his favorite recliner at home and won the game's $150,000 top prize.
He said it was a “surreal moment,” and he “probably looked at that ticket a hundred times.”
After getting no sleep that night, he downloaded the Kentucky Lottery app the next morning to scan the ticket and make sure he wasn't dreaming.
The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, recently made his way to the Kentucky Lottery Headquarters in Louisville to claim his winnings. He walked away with a check for $108,000 after taxes.
With those winnings, he said he was most excited to buy his daughter a big swing set. He will also pay off some debt and is looking to purchase a pickup truck. He added:
“It's a life changer!”
Enjoy playing the Kentucky Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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