Illinois Lottery player celebrates Valentine's Day with $1 million win

NORTHLAKE, Ill. - An Illinois Lottery player is celebrating Valentine's Day not with a girlfriend, he says, but with $1 million instead.

The lucky winner struck it big when he purchased the $1 million winning scratch-off ticket at the Walmart store in Northlake, located at 137 W. North Avenue.

"After I scratched the winning ticket, I completely panicked," said the man, who wants to remain anonymous. "I immediately felt my life change. I almost didn’t go to work!"

The game he played was the MONOPOLY 50X. The winner mentioned that with it being Valentine's Day, he has nobody to share it with due to a very recent breakup.

"I’ve been going crazy keeping this million-dollar secret," he said, according to an Illinois Lottery press release. "I don’t have a special someone to share my big news with because my girlfriend and I broke up three days before I bought the winning ticket. You can say I haven’t had much luck in the love department, but that’s alright, because now I really hit the jackpot!"

MONOPOLY 50X | Provided

This year alone, nearly 8 million winning Illinois Lottery Instant Tickets have been sold. Games are priced between $1 and $50.

The Illinois Lottery urges winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they are ready to claim the prize.

For more information, visit the Illinois Lottery's website.