LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Coxs Creek woman and her boyfriend are feeling a little less stressed after winning $50,000 on a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket.
Tonya Shelton and her boyfriend stopped at Fairfield Grocery in Fairfield on April 25. That’s where Shelton’s boyfriend picked out the “$50 $5,000,000 Fortune” ticket. The scratch-off costs $50 but offers the highest scratch-off payout in Kentucky Lottery history.
“We’ve been playing them together for six years,” she said. “It’s our thing.”
Shelton scratched the ticket off in the car and had matched the No. 25 before she revealed the prize below it.
“I saw the big zeroes and then, when you get to that comma, and the other big zero — I’ve never seen anything this big,” she said.
The couple scored the big win on April 25 — and the 25 turned out to be the number that led to a big payday.
“Today is the 25th day of April 2025, and we won on number 25!” she said. “It was meant to be!”
Tonya’s boyfriend was in disbelief.
“It just gives you this feeling of, is this really real?” he said.
Shelton brought her family along to claim her ticket at lottery headquarters later that day where she received a check for $36,000 after taxes.
“Who would’ve dreamed we’d be down here today?” Shelton laughed.
Shelton told lottery officials she’s building her first home and that winning the lottery will relief some stress.
“It’s a relief, just less stress,” she said. “We’ve been telling each other that, after we get to move into this house, we’ll have to eat tuna and ramen noodles every night. This really just helps us out. It saved the day.”
Shelton shared that when attending Jefferson Community College years ago, she received Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship money funded by the Kentucky Lottery to help her pay for her education while earning her associate’s degree in arts.
“It makes me feel good when I can give back, well, they paid for my schooling,” she said. “You get a chance to win and help some people.”
Fairfield Grocery will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.
The $5,000,000 Fortune game went on sale to players in October. A $5 million top prize was claimed recently by a woman from South-Central, Kentucky. Lottery officials said there was still one $5 million top prize as of May 16.
