A $30 scratch-off lottery ticket purchased in Villa Park provided a life-changing $3 million win for a lucky Illinois lottery player.

The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, said she normally buys the Crossword scratch off, but decided to try something different and went with the $30 Super Bonus scratcher.

“At first, I thought I’d just won my money back,” she said in a press release from the Illinois Lottery. “But as I scratched more, I realized I had won the jackpot.”

Still, she and her husband scanned the ticket with her phone to be sure.

“That’s when we really lost it,” she said. “We screamed and screamed — it was like we were in shock for a while.”

The winning ticket was sold at the BP Gas Station at 1 W. St. Charles Road. The station will receive a bonus of 1% of the prize amount, or $30,000.

With the holidays approaching, the windfall has opened up new opportunities for the woman who chose to go by the moniker “Happy Grandma.”

“It’s like a miracle, and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” she shared. “A portion of my winnings will help support my son, and I’m already planning for home improvements, holiday gifts and a cruise for the grandkids.”

And maybe a little something for herself.

“This season is going to be one for the books — full of celebrations and a few spa appointments,” she said.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251113/news/lottery-player-scratches-off-3-million-winner-from-ticket-bought-in-villa-park/