Loves Park Man Wins $1 Million Powerball Prize
And if that weren't enough (and it wasn't), he also won a $10,000 Instant Ticket prize. Oh, and did I mention that this was all in the same week?
I don't know how you personally measure what qualifies as a really good week, but I've got to believe that a double lottery win of over a million bucks checks the box for most of us. I would consider winning half that amount as pretty much the best week ever.
Before you shout "I need a name! Tell me his name!" I'm afraid that I'll have to disappoint you on that. The winner has chosen to remain anonymous. Given the amount of money coming his way, I completely understand why he doesn't want his name out there. Would you want your doorbell and phone ringing constantly with people looking for a piece of your action? Of course not.
From the Illinois Lottery:
The winning journey for the player, who chose to remain anonymous, started on July 28 when he went to an Illinois Lottery claim center to collect his $10,000 prize. “I was excited because it was the largest win I ever had,” the player explained.
When he was driving home from the claim center, he stopped for gas and decided to also buy tickets for some of his favorite jackpot games at Loves Park Mobil, 6224 N. 2nd St. The player said, “I bought my tickets and put them straight into my pocket until Tuesday after the draw; that’s the day I usually like to check my tickets.”
When he checked his tickets on Aug. 4, he had matched five of the numbers on his Powerball ticket for the Aug. 1 drawing, winning a $1 million prize. “I walked into my girlfriend's house and yelled ‘Yahoo!’ She couldn’t believe it either and started crying,” the player said.
Mr. Unnamed Money Bags says that he's been a lottery player since the lottery first came on the scene in Illinois, and will continue to play even though he's hit the big jackpots.
He also says that he'll be sharing some of his winnings with his favorite charities, Operation Smile and Smile Train.