CHICAGO (WGN) — A man from Chicago has won a whopping $650,000 Illinois Lottery jackpot prize using numbers related to his late wife on a game he usually doesn’t play.
The ticket was purchased at Mariano’s in the city’s Edgewater neighborhood for the Nov. 16 evening drawing.
“I typically play Pick 4 but that day, I noticed that the Lucky Day Lotto jackpot was pretty high so I decided to switch it up and try something new,” said the winner, identified as Big Money D. “I picked numbers related to my late wife – when I won, it felt like it was a message from her.”
Big Money D purchased the winning ticket matching all five numbers, which were 9-11-12-13-17. He didn’t elaborate how they were related to his late wife.
The man said it took an entire day for his win to sink in.
“I’m still so shocked and excited about the win, I have barely been able to sleep!” Big Money D told the Illinois Lottery.
The winner said he’s “already looking at houses, and can’t wait to purchase my dream home for myself and my kids – it truly is a dream come true.”
For selling the winning ticket, the Mariano’s location will receive a one percent bonus of the prize amount, or $6,500.