Newlywed Wins $500K in Lottery — on Wife's Birthday

A west suburban man who recently married his partner of 15 years won more $500,000 in the lottery -- on his new wife’s birthday.

"I bought a 4th of July Millionaire Raffle ticket because my wife told me about it and I thought I should give it a try," Louis Gardner said in a statement from the Illinois Lottery.

Just three days before his wedding, the Hillside resident went to a store to check his ticket and discovered he had won.

Gardner and his wife, Joann, who have been together for 15 years and have four children and eight grandchildren, plan to use the money to pay bills, invest and donate money to their church.

The winning ticket was purchased as BP Mannheim at 825 Mannheim Rd. in Westchester. The store received a $5,000 bonus.

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