A morning scratch-off ticket purchase turns into big lottery win for Kentucky couple

A couple from Nicholasville will pay off some debt after striking big on a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket this month.

Donald and Phyllis Johnson have won tidy sums in the past, according to Kentucky Lottery, but nothing as large as their Oct. 7 win a $5 Gold Mine 9X ticket , purchased at Joe’s Food Mart on South Main Street in Nicholasville.

After purchasing the ticket that morning, Donald scratched it off to find three gold bars — a ticket for the game’s top prize of $90,000.

“I’ve hit $1,000s and $2,000s but nothing like this,” he told Kentucky Lottery officials, according to a Tuesday release from the organization. “First time I’ve ever hit anything like that.”

In Gold Mine 9X, players are charged with scratching their ticket to reveal a series of prizes, and they win if they scratch off corresponding gold bars. As of Monday, all the top $90,000 prizes have been claimed, but remaining winnings run from $5 to $900. The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.39.

In some disbelief, Donald returned to the store to double-check his prize, and then, assured the ticket was worth $90,000, called Phyllis.

“I saw $90,000 pop up on the screen. It freaked me out,” he said, per the release.

Phyllis, who was out on a drive with her uncle, thought he might be joking.

“He said, ‘I hit $90,000!’ I said, ‘Oh, you’re lying,’” she told lottery officials.

The couple immediately drove to Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville to claim their prize, which totaled $64,000 after taxes.

With the winnings, they will pay off debt and a car, lottery officials report.

The business that sold the winning ticket, Joe’s Food Mart in Nicholasville, earned a $900 bonus.

The Johnsons are not the only recent big winners from Kentucky. Last week, the lottery announced a nurse playing an online lottery game secured a jackpot win worth more than $277,000.

If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.

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