A Braidwood, Illinois man discovered a birthday lottery ticket from a friend was worth $1 million after initially believing he had won just $1,000.
A birthday celebration in Braidwood, Illinois, turned into an unexpected $1 million milestone after a man discovered that a lottery ticket gifted to him by a friend was worth far more than he initially realised.
The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, received an envelope containing scratch-offs from a friend at a birthday party organised by his wife. The winning ticket had been purchased at Gas N Wash at 1951 E. Laraway Rd. in New Lenox.
“I never would’ve imagined actually winning,” the winner said.
The ticket matched all six numbers, 11-17-22-26-36-45, in the Saturday, August 8 Lotto Million 2 drawing, securing the $1 million prize. It also won an additional $2 for matching two numbers on another line.
However, the Braidwood resident did not initially realise just how much he had won.
“I didn’t even think I won anything at first glance,” he said. He asked one of his friends to check the ticket, but his friend also overlooked the million-dollar prize and told him he had won $1,000.
“I thought, ‘Wow, a thousand bucks isn’t bad, this was a great day.’ But I was not prepared for what came next.”
The real surprise came when the winner and his wife visited their local Illinois Lottery prize centre. They told staff that he had won $1,000, only to be told that the ticket was actually worth $1 million.
“One of the workers smiled and said ‘Sir, you actually won a million dollars.’ I was in complete shock. My wife even started tearing up.”
The news soon made its way through the family, with both his son-in-law and eldest daughter initially struggling to believe the news.
“Both my son-in-law and eldest daughter said, ‘Get out of here, are you sure?'” he recalled. He replied, “As sure as I am a year older.”
The unexpected birthday gift has also given the Braidwood man and his wife plenty to look forward to. They plan to continue their annual winter trip to Florida to visit relatives, while he hopes to buy a new car and golf cart.
The couple also plans to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with a cruise, alongside celebrations for their children’s birthdays.
“We’ll be going on a cruise to celebrate our 40th anniversary and my kids’ birthdays,” he said. “I told them ‘Dad’s paying.’”
