Illinois Man Embodies Holiday Spirit, Shares $1 Million Lottery Win With Mother

Spreading the Joy of Giving Ahead of the Holiday Season

Fairview Heights, Illinois - A local man has shown that getting into the spirit of gifting does not necessarily have to wait till December. In a surprising turn of events, he won a $1 million prize on a lottery ticket and decided to share it with his mother. This lucky Illinois lottery player sparked the holiday cheer early by splitting his winnings with his mother after a heartwarming, million-dollar celebration. This just goes to show that massive wins are not exclusive to year-end festivities.

An anonymous man and his mother, residents of Illinois, were excitedly anticipating the release of this year's holiday-themed scratch-off tickets. As soon as they were available for purchase, they wasted no time in scrutinizing the new designs. "I'm a big fan of the holiday-themed lottery tickets," the player disclosed to the Illinois Lottery. "As soon as this year's holiday tickets were available, my mom and I went to check them out." He then decided to try his luck with a $20 ticket.

A Golden Surprise Unveiled

His choice fell on a $20 "$1,000,000 Holiday Gold" scratch-off ticket at Sav-On Liquor & Wine on Lincoln Trail in Fairview Heights. What unfolded next was nothing short of a golden surprise. The man left the ticket at his mother's place for her to scratch and reveal its fate.

"Later that day, my mom called me shrieking with joy that she had in her hands a $1 million winning ticket," the winner recollected. "I initially didn't believe her. 'There's no way...' I thought." Overwhelmed by his mother's excitement, he rushed to her home, forgetting even to close his front door!

"Seeing my mom and the winning ticket made me realize it was not a dream — we were indeed holding a $1 million winning ticket. We couldn't contain our joy and started jumping and screaming together," he shared with lottery officials.

The retailer also had a reason to celebrate — they were rewarded with a $10,000 bonus, or one percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.

Sharing the Windfall

When asked about his plans for the winnings, the man immediately mentioned his mother. "First things first, I'm sharing this prize with my mom and giving her half," he revealed in a press release. He never anticipated winning such a substantial prize and expressed his gratitude by saying, "All I can say is — it really is possible."

This lucky player has claimed the first of three top prizes of $1 million in the $20 "$1,000,000 Holiday Gold" scratch-off game. This leaves two top prizes up for grabs. Additionally, there are 13 second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 488 third-tier prizes of $1,000 still available. The overall odds of winning any prize in this game, which was launched in October, stand at 1 in 3.37.