A man from Illinois is celebrating a life-changing $1 million lottery win, and he believes the entire fortune is down to a serendipitous meeting with his grandmother.
A Fateful Lunch Break Leads to Fortune
The anonymous winner, who has playfully named himself ‘Grandma is my lucky charm’, decided to try his luck during a quick lunch break on Friday, 11 October. The Powerball jackpot that night stood at a staggering $240 million, and as he worked late, this was his only chance to buy a ticket.
He drove to a Road Ranger gas station to make his purchase. As he pulled in, he spotted a vehicle that looked remarkably familiar. "I saw a car that looked just like my grandma's," the winner recalled. "And guess what? It was her car, and she was right by the cash register, checking out."
Scanning the Ticket to Disbelief
After a brief hug with his grandmother, he bought his ticket and continued with his day. Hours later, his numbers came up. His ticket matched all five main numbers in the drawing: 13, 16, 18, 20, and 27. While he missed the Powerball, the match was enough for a monumental prize.
The total winnings came to $1,000,004. The winner described the moment of discovery: "I scanned the ticket, and it said ‘You won $1,000,004.’ I didn’t believe it, so I scanned it again. That’s when I started screaming and hyperventilating."
His first call was to his grandmother. "I instantly called my grandma, and her first response was, ‘Are you sure you won?’" he said. To confirm, he manually checked the numbers online, verifying his incredible luck.
Sharing the Luck and the Loot
The elated winner has clear plans for his windfall. "I’m definitely sharing some of this with my grandma. She’s my good luck charm!" he declared. He also intends to treat himself to a brand-new car.
The good news extends beyond the winner's family. The Road Ranger store that sold the winning ticket will receive a bonus equal to one percent of the prize value, amounting to a $10,000 reward for their role in the lucky sale.
This win marks a significant event in Illinois's lottery year. Throughout 2025, a total of 12 Illinois Lottery players have now won Powerball prizes of $1 million or more. Tickets for the multi-state game, which cost $2 each, can be bought in-store or online via the official Illinois Lottery website and app.
This heartwarming story follows another recent lottery tale from Michigan, where a 33-year-old man won $1 million after deciding to purchase a scratch-off ticket another customer had left on the counter.
