Man runs out of gas, stops at store, wins $1M Kentucky lottery scratch-off

CORBIN, Ky. (WXIX) - A Corbin, Kentucky man is a millionaire and all because he ran out of gas.

Michael Schlemmer stopped at the Convenient Food Mart on U.S. Highway 25 West in Corbin.

“I ran out of gas, and I coasted in there,” he told lottery officials. “I had $40 bucks on me and bought $20 worth of gas and bought a ticket. I scratched it off and I looked at it and went back in the store. I showed the girls that sold it to me, and they about had a fit. The owners of the store were there, and they both started grinning.”

Schlemmer’s ticket revealed the automatic symbol to win the game’s $1,000,000 top prize.

He drove to lottery headquarters last Thursday where he walked away with a check for $616,330 after taxes, lottery officials said.

Schlemmer chose to take the game’s lump sum cash payment of $862,000 instead of annuity payments.

He says he had already been looking for a car to buy and now plans to buy a newer one.

Schlemmer says he’ll put the rest of his winnings in the bank.

Convenient Food Mart will receive $8,620 for selling the winning ticket.

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