Lottery winner couldn't catch his breath

By Kate Northrop

LUDLOW, Ky. — A Kentucky man had trouble catching his breath as he gradually learned he had won a $175,000 prize on a lottery ticket.

A Kentucky lottery player felt as though his "heart was crawling out" of his throat in the aftermath of coming to terms with a $175,000 lottery win.

Albert Turner of Ludlow is a somewhat regular lottery player, picking and choosing when to buy ticket. Earlier this month, he had won $50 on a scratch-off ticket. He kept it and recently decided to spend $10 of it on another game.

"I don't always scratch them off; I just scan them," Turner told the Kentucky Lottery.

He picked out a bright and colorful $10 "Cash Blast" ticket, which advertised a top prize of $175,000. Abiding by his usual method of scratching off the barcode, he encountered something different when he checked it.

"I scanned [the ticket], and it said 'See Clerk Corp.,'" Turner recalled.

At first, he thought there was an issue with the ticket. However, he decided to just scratch off the play area, revealing all 21 spots.

With every single spot he scratched, a win lay underneath, gradually totaling to $175,000 the more he played on.

"I couldn't catch my breath," he related. "I ran home and signed the back of it."

Turner's wife noticed his pallor when he got home and asked why.

"I hit it big! I hit big," Turner said to her.

"My heart was crawling out of my throat," he added.

The overjoyed winner was so happy, that he posted on social media later that day saying it was the best day of his life and that he had won the lottery.

"People asked how much, and I said '$1,000,'" Turner joked. "I haven't been able to sleep."

Turner's total take-home from his $175,000 win came to $123,000 after taxes. The timing of the win was just right for the couple, who plan to pay off bills and take a vacation with the winnings.

For selling the winning ticket, Riverside Marketplace on Elm Street in Ludlow will receive a $1,750 commission from the Lottery.

Turner claimed the final top prize of $175,000 in the $10 "Cash Blast" game, which launched in February. However, there are still 25 second-tier prizes of $1,000 and 282 third-tier prizes of $500 remaining.

The odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.19.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Albert Turner had trouble catching his breath as he gradually learned he had won a $175,000 prize on a lottery ticket.