Man Wins $1M Prize on $5 Scratch-Off Ticket: ‘The Best Birthday Gift I’ve Ever Gotten’ – AOL

NEED TO KNOW

• A man named Steve bought the winning ticket at Beck’s North in Kewanee, Illinois, which earned the store a $10,000 bonus

• He almost didn’t choose the winning ticket, inspired by a previous near-miss and a comment from the store owner

• Steve plans to use the prize money for home improvements, a new car, travel, and visiting his son in Arizona

An Illinois man won a $1 million prize when he purchased a $5 scratch-off lottery ticket.

Steve, who did not provide his last name, won the prize money after he purchased a $5 OnyxInstant Ticket on Friday, July 24, according to a press release from Illinois Lottery. He bought the ticket at Beck’s North, located at 401 E. 2nd St. in Kewanee, Ill. Beck’s will receive a $10,000 bonus, or 1% of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.

“This win came just in time,” Steve said in a statement. “I’ll tell you what—this is the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten.”

Steve nearly did not select the winning ticket, he told Illinois Lottery.

“A few weeks ago, I was debating between two $5 tickets,” he said. “I picked one that didn’t win, but my coworker bought one of the other ones and won $10,000.”

Steve said he recounted this debate to the owners of Beck’s North when he went in to unknowingly buy the winning ticket.

“He asked me, ‘Will this one be the winner?’ I took that as a sign when I bought this $5 ticket— and that decision made me a millionaire.”

Steve did not even discover he won until he got home.

“I was watching TV and scratching the ticket with one of those vintage coins,” he said, per Illinois Lottery. “I told myself, ‘This will be my lucky token today’—and it sure was.”

Steve hopes to use the money to support several home improvement projects, to buy a new car, and travel.

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“But most importantly,” he told Illinois Lottery. “I’m looking forward to spending more time in Arizona during the winter. My son lives there, so it’ll be great to visit him more often.”

In 2026, almost 33 million winning Instant Tickets have been sold, with players statewide claiming more than $897 million in prizes.

The Illinois Lottery offers Instant Tickets priced from $1 to $50, which are available at approximately 7,000 retail locations across the state.

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