An Illinois lottery player struck luck in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, buying a Mega Millions ticket that netted them a $1 million prize. The ticket, matching the five main numbers from Friday's draw, was sold at the Gas Express located at 501 West 31st Street, WGN-TV reported.
In the meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot has surged to $800 million, slated for the next drawing on Tuesday night, according to NBC Chicago. This colossal prize counts as the seventh-largest in the game's history. The seller of the winning ticket, Gas Express, is no stranger to fortune's favor, earlier this year a lucky customer won a $400,000 Lucky Day Lotto prize at the same location.
The windfall brings a $10,000 bonus to the retailer, which Faris Saleh, the station's owner, intends to partly share with his employees and invest the remainder in the business. "My employees and I are hoping that the winner is someone we know, a regular customer," Saleh told WGN-TV. His sentiment echoes his earlier statements to NBC Chicago, where he expressed his hope and the plan to use the bonus in benefit of his staff and premises.
This million-dollar prize marks the seventh instance an Illinois Lottery player has won $1 million or more off the Mega Millions this year again, according to the state's lottery officials. The winner, however, yet remains a mystery figure, as they have not claimed the prize but will have a year to present their winning ticket.
