Community Corner
$250K Lottery Ticket Turns Into Tropical Vacation Ticket for Arlington Heights Winner
Valeriy Yermolenko wants to use the rest of his winnings to buy a house when he returns from his trip,
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Valeriy Yermolenko doesn't consider himself a regular Illinois Lottery player, only buying one or two instant tickets a month. But that's all the Arlington Heights resident needed to do to become a winner and start making vacation plans.
Yermolenko won the top prize after scratching off a $250,000 Crossword instant ticket, according to the state lottery agency. He bought the ticket at a Chicago 7-Eleven, 2619 N. Clark St., while visiting family in the city.
“My heart started racing when I saw that I won $250,000!" said Yermolenko, who deposited his newly acquired loot into his bank account.
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But it's not going to stay there. Yermolenko says he plans to first take a tropical vacation and then put whatever is leftover toward buying a house.
image via Illinois Lottery
Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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