Team of Med Center Health employees share Christmas gift of $50,000 lottery win

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Bowling Green woman’s work Christmas gift was extra merry and bright after a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off revealed a $50,000 win.

Sheila Colter of Bowling Green is the second shift supervisor at Med Center Health Environmental Services. For her work Christmas party, things did not initially go to plan.

According to the Kentucky Lottery, Colter had bought gifts for employees but found they had not shipped in time.

Colter needed a replacement and decided to buy some scratch-off tickets – some in a card, and some $30 tickets to share. When they won $50 from the $30 tickets, Colter bought a $50 Millionaire Club scratch-off, which won them $100, leading her to buy two more and win the game’s second prize at $50,000.

“We kept playing as a group,” Colter said. “There are 21 of us. I would stop on the way to work, and we kept winning.”

There were 14 employees around when they won the $50,000, the Kentucky Lottery stated.

“We were all so excited. I was on the floor,” Colter said. She said she plans to use her portion to finish her Christmas shopping.

One of her employees, Winnie Beckman, accompanied Colter to lottery headquarters. Beckman was already planning to travel to Louisville that morning for her citizen test.

“I passed!” Beckman said.

Beckman’s mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and when asked what she was going to do with her share, she said, “I’m going to use it for my mom’s medicine. This will help a lot. And I will never forget this.”

“It means a lot. This is going to help a lot of people,” Colter said.

After taxes, Colter left with a check for $35,750 after taxes and an oversized souvenir check to her team. Split 21 ways, each employee will receive approximately $1,750.

IGA Express on U.S. 31-W Bypass in Bowling Green, where the winning ticket was sold, will receive $500.