Bowling Green Woman First in Kentucky to Win Second Prize on Millionaire for Life – WBONTV Local News for Richmond KY

A Bowling Green woman has won the second-tier prize of $100,000 a year for life playing the Kentucky Lottery’s Millionaire for Life™draw game – making her the first Kentuckian and the second player nationwide to win the second prize.

The winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, says she is a frequent lottery player and enjoys a mix of scratch‑off, draw games, and online play. She purchased the winning ticket at one of her regular stops in Bowling Green – AM Express.

Her ticket matched the five white balls: 42 – 45 – 46 – 48 – 56 on the May 11, 2026 drawing to win the game’s second prize. The odds of winning the second-tier prize are 1 in 5,727,645.

She recalls discovering the win shortly after chatting with her daughter.

“I hung up and pulled up the lottery’s app and saw online that someone had won at the gas station I always go to,” she said. “So, I logged in and checked my ticket and saw $2.2 million on the screen. I logged in, logged off and checked it again—three times—just to make sure I was seeing it right.”

Still in disbelief, she sent a screenshot to her family.

“I was shaking,” her son told lottery officials. “She texted me at work, and I was getting ready to leave. I saw the screenshot and I was like, ‘what?’”

The woman said her husband didn’t believe it either. “Even this morning it still didn’t feel real,” she said with a laugh.

The woman says she’s been playing regularly for years and never stopped believing her moment would come.

“I always said that one of these days it would happen,” the woman said.

Instead of choosing the annuity prize of $100,000 a year for life, the woman chose the current estimated cash value of the one-time lump sum payment of $2.2 million, taking home a check for $1,595,000 after taxes.

When asked about plans for her prize, she said her priority is helping her family.

Beyond that, she does have one dream set and that is to travel.

“That’s always been my goal.”

She also shared that she once won $950 on a Scratch off and has had several smaller wins over the years, but nothing close to this life-changing prize.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” she said. “I’m just grateful.”

AM Express, will receive $1,000 for selling the winning ticket.

Millionaire for Life™ went on sale to players Feb. 22, 2026, after replacing Lucky for Life. Tickets cost $5 per play, and drawings are held nightly at 11:15 p.m. E.T. The top prize for matching the five white balls plus the Millionaire Ball is $1 million a year for life.

The Kentucky Lottery offers its games online and at 3,500 retailers across the state. It is the first lottery in the nation to offer “Connected Play” that allows players to use its mobile app to purchase lottery games at retail with funds in the player’s Fun Club wallet. More information on Connected Play may be found here. 

In 2025, the Kentucky Lottery paid out more than $1.6 billion in prizes. Kentucky Lottery proceeds have funded scholarships and grants for over 1.1 million Kentucky college students.