Handyman from Frankfort wins $20,000

Rex Hazel woke up at 3 a.m. to get his day started on March 4. The Frankfort man describes his profession as a “jack of all trades” and works long, hard days. On this day, he was meeting his friend in Indianapolis to help split firewood and work on his friend’s car. Rex arrived at his friend’s house before anyone was awake, so he decided to visit the nearby Marathon for gas, coffee and lottery tickets.

Rex scratched off his $2 Bingo Frenzy Scratch-off while at the Marathon and realized he was a winner. He asked the associate to scan his ticket to tell him how much he had won. “He (the associate) said ‘Sorry’ – I didn’t want to hear ‘sorry’ – ‘you won too much money to cash here.’”­ Rex excitedly returned to his friend’s house and woke him up to tell him about the change in plans for the day: they were going to travel to the Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment Office in Indianapolis.

“I kept tearing up and could not look at my buddy as I was telling him that I won!” Rex’s friend gladly joined him on the short drive to the Hoosier Lottery office to claim his prize. They arrived 30 minutes before the doors opened eager with anticipation.

Clad in coveralls and gear fit for splitting wood, Rex claimed a $20,000 top prize and smiled humbly for his picture with the big check. He emotionally shared that this win would allow him to put a down payment on property to build a home.

Bingo Frenzy Estimated Overall Odds: 1 in 3.50