A northern Kentucky man was thrilled to win $500,000 in a scratch-off game, so he decided to pay it forward to some of the employees at the store where he bought the winning ticket.
According to the Kentucky Lottery, Daniel Reffitt, of Union, went to a Meijer supermarket in Florence on Aug. 27 and bought a $20 Precious Metals Titanium scratch-off ticket, WXIX-TV reported.
After scratching the winning numbers near the top of the ticket, Reffitt scratched off the first box, which revealed an “auto” symbol for the game’s top prize of $500,000, lottery officials said.
Reffitt said he looked around and saw some store employees nearby.
“I saw a few guys sitting down and gave them $100 each and told them, ‘Merry Christmas!’” Reffitt said in a statement.
It was unclear how many $100 bills Reffitt gave away.
However, he commemorated the moment by taking a selfie with the winning ticket and then called his wife, WLEX-TV reported.
She said “You’re the luckiest man in the world,” Reffitt said in a statement.
After taxes, Reffitt netted $357,500, according to the television station. He said he planned to pay some bills with his windfall.
Meijer will receive $5,000 for selling the winning ticket, lottery officials said.