‘I was like full panic mode;’ Louisville man wins $250,000 on scratch-off

LOUISVILLE, Ky.  – A Louisville man says he entered “full panic mode” when he learned he won a quarter of a million dollars on a Kentucky Lottery Scratch-off ticket.

Kentucky Lottery officials say the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, won the top prize on a $10 Wild Cash 100X Scratch-off.

Officials say he finished his work day and stopped at Circle K on 5035 Mud Lane in Louisville to buy some weekly lottery games.

According to lottery officials, he then scanned that ticket in the store, seeing he matched the number 33 at the top row to win $250,000.

“I was like full panic mode,” he joked.

However, the man wanted a second opinion, so he immediately went home and told his wife, officials say.

“I said this is a really big ticket. I said I don’t know how much it is, but I think it might be the top prize,” he explained.

Once his wife confirmed it was the game’s top prize, she said they started jumping up and down.

“I didn’t want to have to hold on to this all weekend,” the husband said. “I was like, ‘don’t tell the kids. Nobody needs to know. Let’s get out of here. We’re running downtown.’”

The couple claimed their winning ticket at the Kentucky Lottery Headquarters in downtown Louisville, walking away with $180,000 after taxes.

“This money will just take a lot of pressure off of us,” the husband said. “We are going to put it toward our finances.”

Circle K will receive $2,500 for selling the winning ticket.