One Chicago man is celebrating — and retiring early — after a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket he purchased at a liquor store hit the $1 million jackpot, a release from the Illinois Lottery said.
"'I was going to retire next year — but now I don't have to wait," said the winner, whom the Illinois Lottery identified in the release as 'Mr. M' "It's time I focus on what really matters — my family. With this money, I can retire early, and I'm going to move closer to my kids to be more present in their lives," Mr. M's statement went on to say. "I'm also a grandfather, and it's finally time for me to enjoy spoiling my grandkids."
The winning ticket, a "50X Payout" scratch-off instant ticket, was sold at Harlem Food & Liquors, located at 4850 N. Harlem Ave. in Harwood Heights.
“I buy different tickets from time to time, but on this day, I saw the blue 50X Payout ticket and had a good gut feeling about it,” Mr. M, 68, said.
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According to store owner Kuashik Patel, Mr. M is a regular customer of the store.
"He actually bought the very last 50X Payout ticket in our machine," Patel said, in the release. "It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
This is the second big win for the shop, the Illinois Lottery said, as the retailer in September 2022 sold a $1 million winning Lotto ticket.
U.S. & World
The winning ticket is the latest in a slew of big jackpot wins in the Chicago area, including a $2 million scratch-off ticket sold recently at a Bucktown gas station.
