While stopping for gas, an Illinois woman decided to pick up a purple scratch-off ticket – her favorite color – to treat herself for her birthday. What she didn’t expect was to be in total shock after realizing the ticket that she purchased for $25 was now worth a cool $1 million.
“When I scratched the ticket in my car, I kept seeing wins that were getting bigger and bigger,” expressed the lucky winner, who has requested to stay anonymous. “As I got to the end, I realized it was worth $1 million and I couldn’t believe it. I went back into the gas station to double check – and it was real. I instantly started crying and my legs felt like noodles – I didn’t think I would be able to drive home!”
The $1 million winning scratch-off ticket was a $25 Diamond Crossword 10X ticket, purchased at a BP gas station at 12700 South Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights.
The winner fought back tears as she explained, “My husband and I work hard to provide for our family, and we want to be able to give our kids all the opportunities the world has to offer. This win will make a difference in our lives, and in theirs. Never in a million years did I think my life would change in an instant like this.”
This is also an exciting win for the BP in Palos Heights, as the store will receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount for selling the winning ticket, or $10,000.
Already this year, more than 10.4 million Illinois Lottery Instant Tickets have been sold, winning over $253 million in prizes.
The Illinois Lottery currently offers a range of Instant Ticket games priced from $1 to $50, available at approximately 7,000 retail locations across Illinois. Must be 18 or older to play.
Instant Tickets b-roll available for download here.
About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $24 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary benefactor, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.
