Photo Caption: Adrian Dragoi (left), and owner Pete Stellas of UnCork It at 393 E. Illinois St. in Chicago, give two ‘big’ thumbs up after selling a $1 million Powerball ticket on Aug. 30.
One lucky Illinois Lottery player is kicking off September as a newly-minted millionaire.
A Powerball ticket worth $1 million was purchased at UnCork It, located at 393 East Illinois St. in Chicago, for Wednesday night’s drawing.
The lucky winner matched all five numbers, 4-13-35-61-69, to score the million dollar prize.
“This is so cool, and very exciting!” exclaimed Pete Stellas, owner of UnCork It. “We’ve been selling Illinois Lottery tickets since they were available in 1974. I can’t wait to call my brother and tell him we sold a winning $1 Million Powerball ticket here.”
Uncork It is a third-generation family-owned business that’s been a fixture of the community since 1928.
“We are open 365 days a year, even on the holidays. Our employees, including Adrian Dragoi who sold the winning ticket, have worked for our local business for decades,” touted Stellas. “We’ve always talked about selling a winning jackpot lottery ticket, and I’m so thrilled that it just happened!”
Retailers who sell winning tickets receive a cash selling bonus of one percent of the prize amount, which in this case is a cool $10,000.
When asked what he plans to do with the bonus, Stellas cheerfully said “I plan to use the bonus to make some improvements to my business.”
So far this year, seven Illinois Lottery players have won $1 million or more playing Powerball.
In total, over 20,000 winning tickets were sold for this Powerball drawing.
The Illinois Lottery encourages all lucky winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to claim their prize.
Winners have one year from the date of the winning draw in which to claim their prize.
The next Powerball drawing is this Saturday night, September 2 at 9:59 p.m (CT). The jackpot, up for grabs, is an estimated $420 million.
Powerball tickets are $2 each, and players have the option to add the Powerplay for an additional $1 for the chance to multiply non-jackpot prizes.
About the Illinois Lottery
Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $24 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes. For more information, visit IllinoisLottery.com.
