Chicago Mom Wins $400K On Illinois Lottery Scratch-Off Ticket

She checked the ticket over and over before believing the top prize was real, according to Illinois Lottery.

By Eric DeGrechie, Patch Staff

Aug 20, 2026 11:05 AM CDT | Updated Aug 20, 2026 11:06 AM CDT

Claudia, a mother of three, told the Lottery she plans to put some of the money toward her children's education and surprise them with a back-to-school shopping spree. (Illinois Lottery)

CHICAGO — A Chicago mother who stopped at a neighborhood convenience store walked away $400,000 richer after buying a winning Illinois Lottery scratch-off ticket.

Claudia, whose last name was not released by the Illinois Lottery, bought the winning In The Money Instant Ticket at California Enterprises, 2800 W. 55th St. She discovered the top-prize win after scanning the ticket inside the store.

She didn't believe the result at first.

"I thought I was losing my mind—I lost track of how many times I checked the results," Claudia said.

She scanned the ticket repeatedly at the store before checking it again through the Illinois Lottery app. When Claudia returned home and told her mother and sister, they were skeptical, too.

"They said, 'No way, you're playing with us,'" Claudia recalled. "I told them, 'Well, I've already scanned this thing a million times today — let's make it a million and one.'"

Winnings Earmarked For Her Children

Claudia, a mother of three, told the Lottery she plans to put some of the money toward her children's education and surprise them with a back-to-school shopping spree.

"They have no idea it's actually for school supplies," she said.

California Enterprises will receive a $4,000 retailer bonus for selling the winning ticket, equal to 1 percent of the prize.

The win comes during a particularly lucky stretch for Illinois Lottery players.

Earlier this month, a ticket sold at a New Lenox gas station won $1 million in the Lotto Million 2 drawing. That followed a $10.25 million Lotto jackpot ticket sold at a Plainfield grocery store.

And last week, a Powerball ticket purchased at a Quincy Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh hit a $1.04 billion jackpot, the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois. The store earned a $500,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

According to the Illinois Lottery, nearly 37 million winning Instant Tickets have been sold so far this year, with players claiming more than $1 billion in prizes.