A last-minute gift turned into a big lottery win for a suburban Chicago family — and now they’re planning to use their winnings to fulfill a longtime dream.
The winning $1 million ticket was sold in south suburban Monee, at Monee Tobacco on West Monee Manhattan Road, according to the Illinois Lottery.
The unidentified winner said her husband purchased the scratch-off for $25 as a gift for her.
“My husband was on his way home from work and was so tired that day he didn’t want to stop at the store,” she said in a statement. “He knows I like crosswords and puzzles in general, so he bought me a $25 Diamond Crossword scratch-off lottery ticket.”
The couple said they’ve only told their children about their $1 million winning since, revealing they were in shock.
As for what they plan to do with their prize, the couple plan to fulfill a dream they’ve long held.
“I’ve always dreamed of buying a house. It would be fabulous to finally say ‘We own this home,'” the winner told the Illinois Lottery. “After taking care of a few other necessary purchases, choosing the perfect house for our family will be the top priority.”
Monee Tobacco, where the winning ticket was purchased, will also receive a selling bonus of one percent of the prize amount, or $10,000.