Kentucky man stops at gas station for graham crackers and leaves with big lottery win
A Webster County man won $50,000 last month after he purchased a Millionaire Club scratch-off — the Kentucky Lottery’s new $50 ticket.
“It was shocking to me. You just don’t expect it,” said Larry Duncan, of Dixon, who also told state lottery officials the win comes at a difficult time in his life with the death of his mother a week prior to the purchase.
Duncan doesn’t normally play the lottery, but his mother was on his mind when he decided to purchase a few tickets at a Marathon gas station.
“I don’t want to sound crazy, but I was saying, ‘Mama, you’re going to lead me to a winner,’” Duncan reportedly told lottery officials, according to a Tuesday Kentucky Lottery news release.
Duncan’s first play won him $55. So the following day, while family were in town and food was being prepared, Duncan made another stop at the gas station to pick up an ingredient he needed. That’s when he decided to buy the ticket that would land him $50,000.
“I thought, we need some graham crackers,” Duncan said. “I’m going to run up there and get a ticket, too! I was still talking to my mama, and I said, ‘Mama, help me out.’”
Millionaire Club’s top prize is $1 million, and the lottery says three of those prizes are remaining as of Monday. The odds of winning anything on the $50 ticket are 1 in 2.98, but most prizes are between $75 and $100.
Kentucky Lottery has announced several Millionaire Club winners in recent weeks, including a Winchester woman who won $50,000 and a $1 million prize for a Florence man.
When Duncan delivered the news of his win to family back at home, he was white as a ghost.
“I’m kind of a big jokester,” Duncan said, adding that his sister-in-law didn’t believe him at first. “She thought I was pulling her leg, I used to get those fake lottery tickets all the time.”
But it wasn’t a joke. That night, he and his wife made the trip to Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville to collect their prize, which is a requirement for the game’s bigger payouts. The two stayed the night in a hotel and collected their winnings the next morning.
They took home $35,750 after taxes.
For Duncan, the winnings will get him that much closer to a long-held dream: upgrading his 2014 Chevy Camaro to a 2024 model.
As for the gas station that sold the winning ticket, the Dixon Marathon will receive $500 as a bonus.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
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