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HARWOOD HEIGHTS, Ill. - One lucky Illinois Lottery player won $2 million on a scratch-off ticket sold in Chicago's Northwest suburbs.
The winner said he got some of his luck from the owner of the gas station that sold him the ticket.
"Admittedly, I like to think I’m a pretty lucky person," joked the winner, who has requested to stay anonymous. "I’ve won things here and there – but never a prize as incredible as this!"
The $2 million winning scratch-off ticket was purchased at Shell, located at 4555 North Nagle Ave. in Harwood Heights.
"As it turns out, I think the owner of the Shell station might just be my lucky charm," the winner added. "He seems to have sold a number of winning lottery tickets over the years – good thing I stopped at that Shell to buy my ticket!"
The lucky winner stopped into the Harwood Heights Shell on his way home from work, late one night.
"I stopped into the station and bought the $20 scratch-off ticket," said the anonymous winner. "When I scratched it off, I thought it was a joke. I just thought, ‘No way this can’t be real…’ so I scanned it to make sure and it said I’m a winner. I’ve been in complete shock since then."
The lucky player won the top prize on a $20 Illinois Jackpot ticket.
"We are so excited for the winner. He came in to double-check his ticket and told our staff he won. Everyone has been so excited for him," Jibit Joy, owner of the Shell gas station said.
This is also a special day for Joy, as the store will receive a selling bonus of one percent of the prize amount.
This isn’t the first time the retailer has sold a big winning lottery ticket. In November 2022, the same Shell station sold a $600,000 winning scratch-off ticket, according to the Illinois Lottery.