Work becomes second thought after miracle hits

By Kate Northrop

VERONA, Ky. — A Kentucky couple was hit with a swirling mix of giddy emotions after hitting the lottery for $250,000, a prize that they say will truly change their lives.

A Kentucky man urged his wife to hightail it out of work so they could go to Kentucky Lottery offices to claim a $250,000 prize and celebrate the moment together.

Michael Perry of Owenton didn't think much of the lottery tickets he purchased at a gas station. When he stopped at Hop Shop on Verona-Mudlick Road in Verona, he picked out two scratch-off tickets.

One of them was a fated ticket from the $10 "Wild Cash 100X" instant game, which offers a top prize of $250,000.

The first ticket didn't win anything, but that second one was a different story.

"But when I scratched off the second ticket, I couldn't believe my eyes — $250,000!" Perry recalled to the Kentucky Lottery. "Anytime I buy them, I always buy two at a time."

It must have been mindboggling to witness the win unfolding — Perry scratched off a prize on every single spot of the ticket to ultimately total $250,000 in winnings.

"The first thing that crossed my mind was paying off my house," he said to Lottery officials with a smile. "It's an amazing feeling to know that I can do that now."

Perry's wife, Felicia, was the first person he called to share the news with.

"I was at work, and I knew he was on his way down to Louisville," Felicia said in a press release. "He called me, so I answered, and he said, 'Can you talk? You're going to think I'm joking with you, but I promise I'm not. I just hit $250,000 on a ticket. Can you get off from work and go to the lottery office with me?'"

She agreed with her husband's suggestion to leave work so they could claim the prize together, which they said would drastically change their lives.

 "I cried a little bit when I saw the ticket," Felicia said. "This is literally going to change everything for us."

That same afternoon, the pair walked out of Lottery headquarters in Louisville with a check for $180,000 after taxes.

"We're definitely going to celebrate, and I'm sure everyone will be happy for us," the two concurred.

For selling the winning ticket, the retailer will receive a $2,500 bonus from the Lottery.

Perry claimed the first top prize of $250,000 out of three available in the $10 "Wild Cash 100X" scratch-off game, which launched in June. There are also three out of six second-tier prizes of $1,000 and 1,950 out of 3,060 third-tier prizes of $500 remaining.

The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.42.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Michael Perry poses with his ceremonial check together with wife Felicia.