Illinois Winner Grabs $1M Jackpot, Calls It a Blessing from Her Late Husband

A lucky Illinois woman has won a mouth-watering $1 million prize from a scratch-off ticket she purchased on a whim. The player was moved and said that she believed the win was a blessing from her late husband.

A mother of five and grandmother of ten, Pamela Arscott, of Franklin Park, Illinois, won the $1 million from the Celebration Instant Ticket scratch-off.

In an interview with lottery officials, the woman said that she was shopping at Walmart when she spotted the new tickets. The woman decided to buy one for $10 and put it into her purse, eventually forgetting about it.

On the next morning, the woman started scratching the ticket and was surprised to find a matching number for a million dollars, the game’s top prize.

At first, Arscott thought that it was a mistake. She immediately went to wake up her daughter, asking her to check the ticket.

I told her to run out to the store to scan it to double-check and make sure it’s real. She got to the store, scanned the ticket, called me and said, ‘It’s real. You’re getting a million dollars, mom.’

Pamela Arscott

Arscott lost her husband a few months ago and said that she believes that the winning ticket was a “blessing from him.”

For reference, the winning ticket was purchased at Walmart on North Rohlwing Road in Addison, Illinois. The store is set to receive $10,000 for selling the winning ticket.

More Players Across the US Win Big

This is not the only big instant ticket prize handed by the Illinois Lottery in recent times. In May, the lottery handed $500,000 to a lucky $500,000 CELEBRATION player. On the same day, a $2,000,000* CELEBRATION player won $100,000.

Earlier that month, one lucky player purchased a life-changing $10 million ticket at Caseys Gen Store in Alton.

In more recent news, a Powerball player from Grand Rapids, Michigan, couldn’t believe her luck when she won $1 million. In Kentucky, a father and son duo won a similar prize after buying a $20 Casino Nights scratch-off ticket at the Adairville Market.

Elsewhere, a UK woman won $250,000 after ignoring her husband’s lottery skepticism and his pleas to cancel her lottery subscription.