Illinois Lottery player wins $10M top prize on scratch-off game
CHICAGO - An Illinois Lottery player is a multi-millionaire after being the first person to win the top prize of the state's first-ever $50 scratch-off ticket.
The winner, who requested to stay anonymous, purchased the "$10 Million" scratch-off ticket from a Casey's convenience store at 3499 Fosterburg Road in Alton, about 18 miles north of St. Louis, according to a statement from Illinois Lottery officials.
"Something about the $10 Million game was sticking out to me," the winner said in a statement. "I wasn’t in a hurry to scratch it off, I waited until I got home. You could say, ‘I never in "10 million" years thought I’d win the top prize!’"
When asked what they plan to do with their newfound fortune, the newly-minted millionaire said, "The first thing I plan to do is start a college fund for my daughter. We also love going to car shows, so we’re thinking about buying a bigger house with more garage space to indulge in our favorite hobby – buying vintage cars."
The winner also had some future aspirations.
"Ultimately, I want to save the majority of this prize money and invest it. The most important thing is to enjoy life with our family, and help provide for our kids and hopefully later in life, our future grandkids."
Casey's in Alton is also a big winner for selling the ticket, and will receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount, or $100,000.
The game has three $10 million top prizes, which means there are still two other top prizes available, lottery officials said. In addition, the $10 Million game has 15 prizes of $1 million and the best odds to win $500 on any scratch-off ticket currently available in Illinois, according to the Illinois Lottery.
