A lucky tourist, nicknamed “Traveling Treasure,” scored the ultimate souvenir during a recent trip to Illinois – a jackpot-winning lottery ticket worth over $3 million.
The winning ticket was for the FastPlay Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game – and it won the jackpot prize of $3,188,104.
“I’ve been to Chicago before, but never had the chance to explore the tourist spots, so on this trip I made sure to see as much as I could,” shared Traveling Treasure. “I visited the Skydeck at Willis Tower, checked out some filming locations from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and of course, I couldn’t leave without seeing The Bean.”
But the most unforgettable sight might’ve been the winner’s own face upon realizing they’d just won over $3 million with a lottery ticket.
“Before heading back to my hotel one evening, I stopped at a nearby convenience store,” the winner recalled. “I noticed the Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game had a pretty high prize amount at the time, so I decided to try my luck and bought a ticket. When I got back to the hotel and checked it, I saw that I’d won the jackpot – over $3 million! It was a moment of shock and awe, and I completely froze,” they laughed.
The ticket was bought at Komal Wine and Liquors, located at 4628 N. Cumberland Avenue in Chicago, not far from Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
When asked how he plans to use his winnings, Traveling Treasure shared, “I’ve been wanting to buy a house for a while, but with how expensive real estate is these days, it just hasn’t been possible. Then, I recently found out my landlord is selling the apartment I’ve been renting, so now I have to move out. I feel incredibly lucky – this win couldn’t have come at a better time!”
For selling the winning ticket, Komal Wine and Liquor will receive a one percent bonus of the prize amount, which is just over $31,000.
Ultimate Diamond Jackpot is an Illinois Lottery FastPlay progressive jackpot game. The jackpot begins at $75,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide – in-store and online – until the jackpot is won.
Already this year, more than 395,000 winning Ultimate Diamond Jackpot tickets have been purchased, netting Illinois Lottery players over $26 million in prizes.
You could be next! FastPlay is a style of quick and easy draw games that can be played at any time. There are no numbers to pick, no play slip to complete, no scratching, and no waiting for winning numbers.
There are currently more than 25 FastPlay games offered at various price points and play styles. Players can download the Illinois Lottery app to see the most up-to-date jackpots.
FastPlay games can be purchased in retail, online at IllinoisLottery.com, or on the Illinois Lottery app. Illinois is the only state to offer three ways to play – online, in-store, or Scan-N-Play.
Fast Play b-roll, produced by the Illinois Lottery, is available for the media; download here.
The Illinois Lottery is committed to providing players with tools and resources to support positive play. If gambling has become a problem for you or someone you know, call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). For more information, visit the responsible gaming pages on the Illinois Lottery website: Illinois Lottery Responsible Gaming.
About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $25 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary beneficiary, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.