A suburban man who ran to a local gas station to buy a soda for his wife ended the night as a millionaire after scoring a huge win on a scratch-off lottery ticket, according to the Illinois Lottery.
The $1 million prize was won on a $10 scratch-off game known as "Jumbo Bucks," part of the newly launched "Bucks" series which features five different games with varying prices and top prizes.
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WATCH HERE“My wife wanted a soda, so I ran out to a nearby gas station. At the checkout, I decided to pick up a couple of scratch-off tickets, too,” the lucky winner told Illinois Lottery.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Shell gas station located at 2474 N. Thatcher Ave. in River Grove. The gas station will receive a $10,000 bonus, or 1% of the prize money, for selling the lucky ticket.
“When I scratched the ticket at home and realized I’d won a million dollars, I was in total shock— but my wife was even more stunned. She didn’t believe me at all! I had to scan the ticket on my app to prove it, and even then, she still thought I was playing a prank on her,” the winner said.
The new millionaire nicknamed himself "Fateful 56" after the big win, with more than one reason behind the new moniker.
“The winning number on the ticket was 56 — and I’m 56 years old! I guess you could say I’m his lucky charm,” the winner's wife said.
The number stood out to more than just the lucky couple, with one of the winner's best friends also pointing it out upon hearing the good news.
Stunned by the sight of the number 56, he didn't say a word, and instead replied with a picture of his motorcycle, revealing the license plate number: 56.
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SIGN UP So far in 2025, 25 scratch-off tickets worth $1 million or more have been sold in Illinois, contributing to over $610 million in prizes won across 23 million winning scratch-off tickets.
More information on games offered by the Illinois Lottery can be found on its website here.
