There’s an old saying about the transformative possibilities of garbage—“one person’s trash is another’s treasure”—but it’s not often that someone takes it quite so literally and ends up with a check for $80,000. Yet that’s precisely what unfolded in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, when Pamela Howard-Thorton made a retrieval from her own wastebasket and, in a move that would put most lost-key searches to shame, changed her fortunes overnight.
The Case of the Wayward Flamingo Bingo
According to reporting from UPI and WDRB, the adventure started with what Howard-Thorton described as a “premonition.” WDRB notes she actually dreamed about hitting it big, and later told Kentucky Lottery officials that her instincts kept nudging her towards the $5 Flamingo Bingo scratch-off game. Despite this, WDRB documents that she first bought a different ticket, collecting $200 in winnings. It wasn’t until later that she returned to the Speedway in Lebanon Junction to finally pick up four Flamingo Bingo tickets using her scratch-off proceeds.
As WDRB outlines, those four tickets managed to escape her attention for most of the day, sitting quietly on the counter until about 11:30 at night. She only remembered them then, scratching through three losers before accidentally tossing all three—and, it turns out, the fourth unscratched ticket—into the trash. Retracing her steps, she realized her error, retrieved the fourth, and played it.
In a detail highlighted by UPI, it was that rescue mission to the trash that uncovered her $80,000 win. Unsure whether she’d really hit the jackpot, Howard-Thorton asked her husband to double-check. When he couldn’t confirm, she scanned the ticket with the Kentucky Lottery Mobile app. WDRB describes the moment: cue tears, shouting, late-night calls to her daughter and mother, and a mother’s wish fulfilled—Howard-Thorton’s mom had always wanted to see her daughter win big.
Good Luck, Forgetfulness, and the Law of (Actual) Averages
WDRB reports that after taxes, Howard-Thorton walked away from the Kentucky Lottery Headquarters with a check for $57,600. She’s putting the money to use with a practical plan: a new car, some help for her mom, and paying off bills—decidedly sensible as far as sudden windfalls go.
If there’s a lesson underlying all the scratcher suspense, it might be about the accidental wisdom of second guesses and unintentional forgetfulness. Had Howard-Thorton not checked her trash, the ending would be less “life-changing jackpot” and more “quiet regret.” UPI points out, with a touch of irony, how the tipping point was simply the urge to double-check before emptying the bin. It leaves one wondering just how many lottery tickets, lost receipts, and good ideas have ended up in the same limbo by mistake.
Odds, Ends, and Ironies
According to WDRB, the Speedway that sold the winning ticket isn’t left out—they’ll receive an $800 bonus for supplying the lucky scratcher. For anyone wondering, the outlet also notes there’s still one unclaimed $80,000 top prize on Flamingo Bingo, in case inspiration (or a recurring dream) strikes and you happen to be in Kentucky.
Stories like this serve as a reminder: luck is a strange beast, driven as much by timing and leftover intuition as any grand plan. Howard-Thorton’s experience, chronicled by both outlets, demonstrates that sometimes a little absent-mindedness—and a willingness to revisit the trash—pays off in the most unexpected way.
At the end of the day, maybe fortune prefers the quietly persistent, or at least those willing to dig through yesterday’s mistakes. Has anyone else just mentally inventoried their own recycling bin? Or is that just me?
