Illinois Lottery Mints New Millionaire, Woman Wins $3M

Just recently, the Illinois Lottery had another feel-good story to share about an anonymous winner who bought a $30 Royal Riches scratch-off ticket only to discover that she won the mega prize. This $3,000,000 payout will turn her life around moving forward.

Illinois Lottery Sees Another Chance $30 Purchase Turn into Millions-Worth Win

The ticket was bought on a whim, and almost without any thought into it, as the Vandalia woman decided to treat herself on Christmas Eve, and scooped up what would soon turn out to be the life-changing lottery ticket. 

Hailing from Vandalia, the winner chose to remain anonymous but was happy to share her excitement with lottery officials and anyone interested in finding out about how big lottery winners come to be.

As it turns out, luck and a few odd surrounding events had all to do with her win. She wanted to do a quick tank top-up and purchase a lottery ticket, but the gas station she chose was closed for the holiday. 

That is why she drove on and went to Phillips 66 at 701 Veterans Ave. in Vandalia, which was the only place open on Christmas Eve. And a good thing she did, too, as she picked the Royal Riches scratcher there.

The winner shared that she really liked the design and was primarily motivated by the thought that she could keep the ticket after she played it – and presumably lost. 

“I kept the $30 ticket for myself. I really liked the design,” the chance winner said. 

Jackpots Are Great, But You Got to Go Back to Work

“When I scanned the ticket at the store, I honestly thought the machine was broken—until I realized I had won $3 million,” she continued. With the newfound fortune, the anonymous winner is now set to take care of some personal matters, as well as support her family.

The money will also be enough for her to retire, with some of it going towards this. However, the Vandalia woman is also pragmatic and practical – she doesn’t intend to quit her job or let the money go to her head.

However, she does plan on a holiday trip to help reset, but once that is done, she will be returning to work. Only a little better off. More jackpots recently dropped in Connecticut, where two players won $4 million and $1 million from their tickets, respectively.