CHANNAHON, Illinois (CBS) — An Illinois lottery player celebrates his $3 million win with a scratch-off ticket he bought at a suburban gas station last weekend.
The winning ticket for the “$3,000,000 Super Bonus” was purchased at a Circle K gas station and convenience store located at 26950 W. Eames in Channahon, Illinois.
The player, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she still can’t believe she won.
“Scratchoff games are my favorite and my local gas station had a brand new game on display, so I bought three tickets. After scratching off the third ticket, I was pretty sure I had won the jackpot, but I wasn’t 100% sure,” she said.
She said it was the longest weekend of her life as she could not confirm whether she had a winning ticket.
“I wanted to verify the ticket, but the lottery prize center was closed for the weekend. Then I remembered that I could scan the ticket at the store, and when I did, my jaw dropped and I felt numb,” she said.
According to lottery officials, the new $30 scratch-off ticket was launched in July. The winner said she would “invest, remodel the house and travel—in that order.”
The seller receives a bonus of 1% of the prize money, or $30,000, for selling the winning ticket.
Lottery officials reported that more than 43 million Illinois Lottery Instant Tickets have been sold, helping players win more than $1.1 billion in prizes so far this year.
Players must be 18 years or older to participate.