The jackpot lottery prize may be $250,000, but timing is priceless.
Francisco Hernandez, a Chicago resident for 25 years, claimed a $250,000 Illinois Lottery prize less than two weeks before the prize would have expired.
Hernandez's ticket matched all five numbers from the July 12, 2014 evening drawing.
According to Hernandez, his wife had heard that a winning Lucky Day Lotto ticket sold at their neighborhood store and was going to expire July 12. Because Hernandez usually buys his tickets at the same store, he and his wife searched their entire house and eventually found the winning ticket in the glove compartment of his car, Hernandez told the Illnois Lottery.
The Lucky Day Lotto drawings are twice a day, seven days a week and players have one year from the original draw date to claim the prize.
Hernandez bought the winning ticket at Liquorama, 4430 S. Kedzi Ave., where the retailer received $2,500, or one percent, of the prize amount for selling a winning ticket.
Hernandez, who works as a chauffeur for the City of Chicago, told the Illinois Lottery that he plans on using the money for the one thing he wants: a house for his family.
