CHICAGO — A quick stop on the way to a doctor’s appointment proved lucky for April and Randy of Ashton, who won a $350,000 Lucky Day Lotto® jackpot.
The co-workers and friends have been playing the lottery together for a few years. “People always told us, ‘You’re never going to win,’” said Randy. “But we’d laugh and say, ‘One day we’ll hit it.’”
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That day arrived on January 7, when a Quick Pick ticket purchased at the Jewel-Osco located at 177 E. Roosevelt Rd. in West Chicago matched all five numbers— 2-4-6-27-39 — in the Lucky Day Lotto evening drawing. Randy purchased the winning ticket during a brief stop at the store. “I was taking my wife to a doctor’s appointment and decided to make a quick stop,” he said. “We were at the right place at the right time.”
The duo had previously agreed to split any winnings, a decision that paid off in a big way. News of the win spread quickly at work. “We were in total disbelief,” April said. “At first, Randy thought we’d only won $350 and joked about buying more tickets. When I checked the app and saw it was $350,000, everything changed.”
She added with a laugh, “Everyone at work started giving us high fives and congratulating us.”
For selling the winning ticket, the Jewel-Osco retailer will receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount, totalling $3,500.
April and Randy plan to put the winnings toward property investments, retirement savings, and a vacation. “My wife wants to go to Ireland,” Randy chuckled. “But since I don’t fly, I might be getting a tattoo instead.”
Lucky Day Lotto is an Illinois-only draw game with two daily drawings at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m., and jackpots start at $100,000. Tickets are available in-store, online, and via the Illinois Lottery app.
