Someone in a western Illinois town made a huge profit just in time for the holidays.
According to the Illinois Lottery, a winning Powerball ticket was purchased at a grocery store in Prophetstown, located in the far western part of the state near the Iowa border.
The winning ticket, which was purchased at Shaws Marketplace at 214 Washington St., matched four numbers and the Powerball, plus they added the "Power Play" feature to score $500,000 in the Wednesday drawing.
The winning numbers were: 36-51-59-66-68 and Powerball 25.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
“What a great way to celebrate Christamas,” Evelyn Fouts, manager of Shaws Marketplace, said in a statement. “I don’t know who bought the winning ticket but Prophetstown is a tiny town with less than 2,000 people - we don’t even have a stoplight - so the probability that it’s someone from our hometown is highly likely.”
Lottery officials say the win marks the eighth Illinois player to win a prize of $500,000 or more in the Powerball this year alone.
“I’ve been with this store for nearly 20 years and I’ve experienced many lottery jackpot celebrations, however, this is the largest winning ticket we’ve ever sold here - it’s pretty magical,” Fouts said.
Local
Shaws Marketplace will get a bonus of $5,000 for selling the winning ticket.
The winner has one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.
The Illinois Lottery urges any winner 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.
The next Powerball drawing is Saturday, with a jackpot of $149 million on the line.
