Christmas Day lottery winners in Cynthiana, Lexington, Winchester

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Lexington area saw several big Kentucky Lottery winners recently, with two players winning on Christmas Day.

For a Cynthiana man who wished to remain anonymous, it turned out to be an exciting day after winning a $100,000 prize on a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket.

He stopped at the Speedway on Ladish Road in Cynthiana on Christmas morning to purchase a $30 Gold Rush ticket.  After getting home, he sat down to watch TV and decided to scratch it off.

“I came across the number nineteen and thought it was a winner for one hundred dollars. But then I saw a zero, and another zero and another zero,” he told lottery officials. “It was a big surprise. I play a lot but never expected to win.”

It wasn’t until he drove to Louisville the following Tuesday to claim his ticket that winning $100,000 had sunk in.  “You don’t know how many times I’ve looked at it (ticket).  I don’t think it’ll hit me yet until I get the check.”

He received a check for $71,000, after taxes.  He said he’ll probably trade in his car for a newer one and is considering retiring.

Speedway will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Then also in Lexington on Christmas Day, a player bought a Keno ticket online and won $50,000.  The Lexington man wagered $1 and chose the 8-spot play.  He added the Bulls-Eye feature to his ticket for an additional $1, giving him a chance to win bigger prizes and more chances to win.

Lastly, a Winchester woman (who also wishes to remain anonymous) redeemed a $100,000 Break Fort Knox ticket earlier this week.

Back in November, she matched the number 9 on the last row of the ticket. She then scratched off the prize amount below the number, uncovering the $100,000 prize.

“I thought I messed up.  I thought it wasn’t real. I double checked it a million times,” she said.

“I needed some time to plan, to think about what I was going to do,” she said as to why she’d held on to the ticket for a month. She received a check for $71,000, after taxes. She told lottery officials she has always rented her home and plans to buy a house with the winnings.

“This was very exciting,” she said.

She purchased her winning ticket at Southland Marathon in Lexington.  The store will receive $1,000 for selling the ticket.