Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago, has become the latest hot spot for lottery luck. A $10 "777 Jackpot" scratch-off ticket, yielding a massive $777,777 prize, was sold at a 7-Eleven located at 1585 Rand Road, according to NBC Chicago. With an incredible streak of fortune, the 7-Eleven store also stands to rake in $7,777, a 1% seller’s commission for the winning ticket sold there.
Introduced in December 2023, the "777 Jackpot" game has already changed lives, minting a new Chicago-area winner whose life is now lined by more than just the dreams of wealth, having secured one of the three jackpot prizes available. According to WGN-TV, the odds to win stood at 1 in 1,278,340. This win signals the second Illinois Lottery player to hit the jackpot with the "777 Jackpot" scratch-off, leaving only one top prize out there.
Despite the top-line figure, the winner will not be pocketing the full amount due to taxes. After estimated withholdings, they're expected to walk away with approximately $552,600, says Nerdwallet’s Lottery Tax Calculator, as reported by WGN-TV. This big win comes as part of a greater cascade of lucky tickets throughout the Chicago area, which includes a $3.6 million scratch-off ticket sold in Lincolnwood and a $1 million ticket in Arlington Heights.
While the Illinois Lottery announced the details of this latest win last Saturday, the name of the new nearly-three-quarter-of-a-millionaire remains a mystery. Lottery officials urge winners to sign and secure their golden tickets and plan to claim their prizes within the one-year timeframe. Following the proper protocol ensures that participants in this dance of chance can truly enjoy their winnings, following a lucky draw that turned a $10 bill into a fortune.
