Western Kentucky woman keeps dream lottery prize under pillow

OAK GROVE, Ky. – A western Kentucky woman is living a dream come true thanks to winning the top prize on a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket.

Lottery officials say the woman, who chose to stay anonymous, kept the ticket under her pillow the night before she claimed it.

Officials say the woman won the $50,000 top prize.

She said her son had encouraged her to play the ticket recently when they stopped at Pal’s in Oak Grove.

“I had never seen the ticket but told her to play it because it stuck out at me,” her son said. “She scratched it off in the store and the first number, 52, appeared and she saw the prize, and we both got a little nervous. I told her to scratch off the barcode and scan it.”

When they scanned the ticket, they had won $50,000.

“I could have fainted. I will tell you, though, I have problems with my hip and my back, but I think I jumped and did a little dance,” she joked.

The night before going to Kentucky Lottery Headquarters to claim the prize, the family was nervous about where to secure the ticket.

“My son told me to lock it up in the glove box, but it (the ticket) was just fine with me under my pillow that night,” she said.

With several grandchildren about to enter college, she said she plans to use some of the money to pay for their education.

“And I’m going to donate some of it to help pay off our church’s van,” she said.

Pal’s of Oak Grove will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.