Palatine Liquor Store Sells $750K Lucky Day Lotto Ticket To Cook County Friends

PALATINE, IL — Two Cook County friends are celebrating after claiming a $750,000 Lucky Day Lotto jackpot from a ticket sold in Palatine, according to the Illinois Lottery. The winners are remaining anonymous under the name "Pirate Gals." Their ticket was purchased at Squire Liquor & Tobacco, 1929 Plum Grove Rd. in Palatine.

The winning ticket matched all five numbers, 17, 22, 25, 31 and 40, in the March 20 Lucky Day Lotto drawing, securing the game’s top prize. The friend who bought the ticket said she realized the win while still inside the store.

"I was still in the store when I realized we had won— I was so excited," said the "Pirate Gal" who bought the ticket. She then called her friend, who checked the numbers again. "At first, I thought it was only $700, until my friend pointed out it was actually the jackpot."

Squire Liquor & Tobacco will receive a selling bonus equal to 1 percent of the prize amount, totaling $7,500, according to the Illinois Lottery.

The winners told Illinois Lottery the moment still feels unreal.

"We didn't get much sleep that night," the winners shared. "After all these years, we finally hit a jackpot — it still doesn’t feel real."

They said they plan to use the money for a family vacation, a new condo and travel to the Philippines.

"We feel incredibly blessed by this windfall," they said. The ticket purchaser also said, "I even told the store we needed a winning ticket—who knew it would be this one?"