Lotto Player Plays Fave Color, Wins $1M At Palos Heights BP Station

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — An Illinois woman may have invented a new winning strategy for playing the lottery – play your favorite color when picking scratch-off tickets.

While stopping for gas at a Palos Heights gas station, the Illinois woman decided to treat herself for her birthday by picking up a purple scratch-off ticket – her favorite color. What she didn’t expect was to be in total shock after realizing the ticket that she purchased for $25 was now worth a cool $1 million.

“When I scratched the ticket in my car, I kept seeing wins that were getting bigger and bigger,” said the lucky winner, who has requested to stay anonymous. “As I got to the end, I realized it was worth $1 million and I couldn’t believe it. I went back into the gas station to double check and it was real. I instantly started crying and my legs felt like noodles. I didn’t think I would be able to drive home!”

The $1 million winning scratch-off ticket was a $25 Diamond Crossword 10X ticket, purchased at a BP gas station at 12700 South Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights.

“My husband and I work hard to provide for our family, and we want to be able to give our kids all the opportunities the world has to offer,” the lucky winner said, fighting back tears. “This win will make a difference in our lives, and in theirs. Never in a million years did I think my life would change in an instant like this.”

It’s also an exciting win for the BP in Palos Heights, as the store will receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount for selling the winning ticket, or $10,000.

Already this year, more than 10.4 million Illinois Lottery Instant Tickets have been sold, winning over $253 million in prizes. The Illinois Lottery currently offers a range of Instant Ticket games priced from $1 to $50, available at approximately 7,000 retail locations across Illinois. You must be 18 or older to play.