A Kewanee man’s birthday celebration came a little early this year after he won a $1,000,000 top prize on a $5 Onyx Instant Ticket, the Illinois Lottery announced Thursday.
“This win came just in time,” said Steve, who did not share his last name. “I’ll tell you what — this is the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten.”
Steve purchased the winning ticket at Beck’s North, located at 401 E. 2nd St. in Kewanee. The retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus, equal to 1% of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.
The million-dollar win came just weeks after Steve narrowly missed out on another big prize.
“A few weeks ago, I was debating between two $5 tickets,” he recalled. “I picked one that didn’t win, but my coworker bought one of the other ones and won $10,000.”
When Steve returned to the same store recently, he shared the story with one of the workers.
“He asked me, ‘Will this one be the winner?’ I took that as a sign when I bought this $5 ticket — and that decision made me a millionaire.”
Steve discovered his life-changing prize during a quiet evening at home.
“I was watching TV and scratching the ticket with one of those vintage coins,” he said. “I told myself, ‘This will be my lucky token today’ — and it sure was.”
After revealing the winning prize, Steve downloaded the Illinois Lottery app and scanned the ticket to confirm the $1 million win.
As for what’s next, Steve plans to invest in several home improvement projects, including building a new garage. He also has his sights set on buying another car.
“But most importantly,” he said, “I’m looking forward to spending more time in Arizona during the winter. My son lives there, so it’ll be great to visit him more often.”
Nearly 33 million winning Instant Tickets have been sold in Illinois so far this year, with players statewide claiming more than $897 million in prizes. The Illinois Lottery currently offers Instant Tickets priced from $1 to $50 at approximately 7,000 retail locations across the state.
