A Chicago mother won $400,000 with a $5 scratch-off ticket, the Illinois Lottery said Thursday.
Claudia bought the winning ticket at the California Enterprises convenience shop at 2800 W. 55th St., in Chicago’s Gage Park area.
The woman was on a typical supermarket errand when she purchased the Illinois Lottery’s In The Money Instant Ticket.
After scanning the ticket in the store, she discovered she had won. “I thought I was losing my mind; I lost count of how many times I checked the results,” she added.
Claudia relayed the news to her family, who were also suspicious. “I immediately told my mother and sister,” she explained. They answered, ‘No way, you’re fooling with us.’ ” I said, ‘Well, I’ve already scanned this thing a million times today—let’s make it a million and one.'”
Claudia has three children. She plans to put the money toward their schooling and surprise them with a back-to-school shopping spree. “They have no idea it is for school supplies,” she explained.
The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, which equals 1% of the prize value.
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