A routine grocery stop turned into a significant lottery win for a Hopkinsville woman who recently claimed a $500,000 prize from a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket.
The winner, who asked to remain anonymous, purchased a $20 Hot Money Multiplier scratch-off ticket while visiting the Kroger on Skyline Drive. She said she had initially planned to shop at a different store but decided at the last moment to stop at Kroger.
According to lottery officials, she had a $20 ticket to cash in and decided to purchase another ticket while she was there. While scratching the card, she matched the number 31 on the first row and then uncovered the game’s $500,000 top prize beneath it.
The woman said the moment left her stunned. She called her husband shortly afterward, and he initially thought something might be wrong when he heard her struggling to explain what had happened.
The couple later traveled to Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville to claim the prize. After taxes, she received $362,500. She told lottery officials she plans to continue working but expects the winnings will provide added financial stability for her family. The couple also plans to purchase a new car for their daughter.
The winner is no stranger to lottery success. She previously won a $225,000 top prize in the Cash Ball game in 2017.
The Kroger store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $5,000 retailer bonus.
The recent prize adds to a list of Kentucky Lottery wins connected to Hopkinsville and Christian County over the years. In 2004, Hopkinsville resident Mark Baker won a $300,000 scratch-off prize after purchasing a ticket at a convenience store on Fort Campbell Boulevard.
More recently, a Hopkinsville woman won a $90,000 top prize from a Wild Cash Multiplier scratch-off ticket in 2024. Another local winner claimed a $50,000 scratch-off prize that same year after purchasing a ticket during a stop on the way home from a friend’s house.
