Lucky No. 7? Kentucky man credits the number with a huge lottery scratch-off win

A Louisville man took home an early birthday gift recently, courtesy of a large Kentucky Lottery win.

In a release Tuesday, the agency said the frequent lottery player, who asked to remain unnamed, “credits his birthdate” with his big win — $77,777 on a scratch-off ticket purchased June 7.

The man purchased the ticket, a 777 scratch-off, at the Louisville Hillview Kroger for $5 and instantly scanned the barcode.

“I already knew it was a big one,” he said, according to the release.

After scanning, he scratched his ticket.

“I got to four and five [seven symbols],” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is pretty real!’ Then the last number in the right corner was a seven.”

At first, he thought his win totaled $7,777, already a large sum, but after scratching the back of the ticket, he realized his prize was larger, according to the lottery.

“I really just looked at it and was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” he said. “There was a lady scratching next to me and she said, ‘What?’ And, I said, ‘I don’t know if I should say, but I just won the jackpot on this!’”

The 777 scratch-off game challenges Kentucky Lottery players with scratching their ticket to reveal the number seven, with each seven earning the player a bigger win. There is also a scratch-off feature on the back of the ticket.

With the recent win, there are no top prizes of $77,777 remaining, according to the lottery’s website, but other prizes range from $5 to $7,777. The odds of any win on the game are 1 in 3.29.

With a the ticket purchased June 7 and his birthday July 7, the man might be on a lucky seven streak.

“I always kind of felt partial to the ticket because of that,” he told lottery officials. “But did I ever in a million years think that I would actually hit one of those jackpots?”

After taxes, he claimed a prize just shy of $56,000 June 10. The Kroger that sold the ticket got a $777.77 bonus, as well.

The Louisville man told officials he plans to pay off his vehicle and do some work on his home with the winnings.

Kentucky has seen several lucky lottery wins in recent days, including a Powerball ticket sold over the weekend worth $150,000.

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

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