Illinois Lottery player wins $9.2M jackpot by accident: 'I couldn’t believe it'

ADDISON, Ill. - An Illinois Lottery player is celebrating a life-changing win after a stroke of luck turned a frustrating moment into a multi-million dollar jackpot.

The above video is from a previous report published on Aug. 27.

The winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, purchased the winning Lotto ticket at a Jewel-Osco in Addison on August 24. 

"It was a normal day, just like any other. I was picking up groceries at Jewel and on my way out the door, I decided to buy a lottery ticket," the winner said.

The ticket matched all six numbers in the drawing, winning the player a $9.2 million prize.

"I actually wanted to buy a ticket for a different game and the machine got stuck on Lotto," the winner explained. "I was a bit frustrated. I said, ‘What is going on? The machine won’t give me the right game!’ So I decided I may as well buy the Lotto ticket."   

The lucky player held onto the ticket for about a month before claiming the prize. 

"The morning after the drawing, I scanned the ticket at a machine to check if it was a winner," the winner shared. "When the machine showed the $9.2 million prize amount, I couldn’t believe it! I looked at my wife and she was completely speechless."

This is the second-largest Lotto prize won in Illinois this year. In February, an Illinois Lottery player won $10.4 million on a ticket purchased in Park Ridge.