A Lexington man showed up at Kentucky Lottery headquarters just days before Christmas with a Powerball ticket worth $50,000.
Jeffery Goree works as a driver for UPS and travels to Beckley, West Virginia five days a week, making several stops along the way in Kentucky to buy Powerball tickets.
Goree told lottery officials he has been playing Powerball since it started. In addition to buying tickets for himself, he also participates in two groups that go in together to play Powerball and Mega Millions.
Goree purchased the winning Powerball ticket at Clark’s Pump-N-Shop on Versailles Road in Lexington for the December 14th drawing. It wasn’t until Goree checked his ticket several days later that he discovered his ticket matched four white balls and the Powerball to win $50,000.
Goree had taken Mega Millions tickets he had purchased for his group and the $10 Powerball ticket he bought for himself to a local Marathon station in Lawrenceburg to check for wins.
“I was checking them. I had about 15 tickets to check and was down to the last two tickets,” Goree said. “It showed, ‘Congratulations, you won $50,000, contact KLC Corp’. I said, ‘Man this machine is messed up.’ I scanned it again. I’m like nah, this machine is messed up.”
Goree took the ticket up to the store clerk. “I said, ‘Man, your machine is saying I won $50,000. Could you scan it,’” Goree asked. “Next thing I know he’s telling me, ‘Congratulations!’”
“All I could do was stand there and cry,” Goree said.
On the morning of December 20th, Goree stopped at Clark’s Pump-N-Shop to find out what he needed to do to claim his winning ticket and then headed to lottery headquarters in Louisville.
After taxes, Goree received a check for $36,000.
When asked what plans he has with the winnings, Goree’s response was an emotional one. “I would give this money up if I could get just one more Christmas with my mother.”
Goree shared with officials that his mother passed away three years ago and how much she loved playing Scratch-off tickets.
“That’s why I stopped,” he said. “I would usually be getting Scratch-off tickets, so I’ll go in here and check these tickets.”
Goree did mention he will pay off his RV and put the rest in the bank.
Clark’s Pump-N-Shop will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.