They wish to remain anonymous. But one Cadiz couple is $60,000 richer — thanks to a last-second decision made near April Fools’ Day.
Per officials from the Kentucky Lottery, the couple were leaving Walmart on North 12th Street in Murray last Thursday night, and on the way out, the husband purchased four of the $5 “Queen of Hearts” tickets from the vending machine.
Jennifer Cunningham, communications specialist for the Kentucky Lottery, said the husband actually went to a different machine first. When it wouldn’t take his card, he went to the other machine, bought those tickets, and went back to the parking lot.
Sitting in the truck, he scratched off the first ticket and won $20. When he got to the third ticket, he discovered a 5X symbol on the first spot.
“I scratched it off and told my wife that I’d won $1,000,” he told officials. “This is going to a nice size winner.” He scratched off two more on the first row, and the 5X symbol indicates players win 5 times the prize shown.
He eventually revealed a total of 10 “5X symbols” on the front of the ticket, totaling $50,000.
The ticket is double-sided, so he flipped it over to the back — where he matched the hat symbol on three of the spots, each having a $1,000 prize. Then, he scratched off seven “auto” symbols, winning another $7,000.
Sixty thousand dollars. All in a blink.
“I didn’t believe him at first,” the wife noted. “I told him this better not be an April Fool’s joke since it’s tomorrow. We made a last-minute decision to go to the store in Murray. It really is being at
the right place at the right time.
The unnamed couple went on to tell officials that they “couldn’t sleep that night.” They would both lay there quiet, and then one would say — “We won $60,000!” — and get all excited again.
The Trigg County couple drove to Kentucky Lottery headquarters on April Fools’ Day, April 1, and came away with more than $42,000 after taxes. The couple have plans to use the winnings to pay off bills.
Cunningham helped the couple with their winnings, and noted that this particular game has a roughly 1-in-5 chance to produce a “winner” of some kind in its roll.
Murray’s Walmart will receive a $600 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
