Bardstown man wins half a million dollars on Friday the 13th

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WAVE) - A Bardstown man has won $510,000 by playing the lottery online on Oct. 13.

The man, who wishes to stay anonymous, and his wife went to the Kentucky Lottery headquarters to get his check.

“I’ve been playing for 40 years, so it’s about time,” the man said to Kentucky Lottery officials. “When I saw the jackpot was hit, I checked my email spam folder because I had heard that had happened to another winner recently. I saw an email that said I had won, and I thought, ‘I think I won.’”

His wife was in shock too.

“We were having our morning coffee, and when he showed me the email, I about spit out my coffee. I just said, ‘What did you play? What did you play?!’ I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “We sat there for two hours checking the numbers over and over again.”

The jackpot was won on the usually unlucky day of Friday the 13th, but the man said the winnings have changed his mind.

“I usually steer away from the number 13 but not now,” he said.

The winner said the money will make the couple’s current home remodel much easier. The couple said they’re closer to retirement as well.

Despite his winnings, the man said he’s going to keep playing the lottery.

“Yes! I’m still playing and now I want to win more,” he said. “I played this morning before we came here, and I check my spam folder a lot more often, too.”

The winnings totaled $364,650 after taxes.