Festive Spirit Comes Early for Illinois Man Who Shares $1 Million Lottery Prize with Mother

The Unexpected Gift Worth a Million

In Fairview Heights, Illinois, an anonymous local man won a staggering $1 million from a lottery ticket. But what makes this man's story even more enchanting is his decision to share his windfall with his mother. This heartwarming act of generosity emphasizes that the spirit of gift-giving and sharing should not be confined to the holiday season.

Brimming with joy from the million-dollar celebration, the lucky Illinois lottery player decided to split his winnings evenly with his mother, injecting an early dose of holiday cheer into their lives. However, this story also serves as a reminder that life-changing victories can occur at any time of the year.

An Early Taste of Holiday Cheer

This fortunate man and his mother were already excited about trying their luck on the holiday-themed scratch-off tickets as soon as they were available. "I'm a big fan of the holiday-themed lottery tickets," he shared with the Illinois Lottery officials. "As soon as this year's holiday tickets were available, my mom and I went to the store to check them out. I decided to try my luck on a $20 one."

He chose a $20 "$1,000,000 Holiday Gold" scratch-off ticket at Sav-On Liquor & Wine on Lincoln Trail in Fairview Heights. The result was indeed as precious as gold. He left the ticket with his mother to scratch off and eagerly awaited the result.

"Later that day, my mom called me, screaming with joy that she was holding a $1 million winning ticket," the lucky winner continued. "Initially, I thought there was no way it could be true. But her excitement was palpable, so I rushed over to her house so quickly I even forgot to close my front door!" he recounted, sharing a hearty laugh with the lottery officials.

"When I saw my mom and the winning ticket, it sunk in — we were actually holding a $1 million winning ticket. We were both ecstatic, jumping up and down and screaming with joy."

A Win-Win for Everyone

It wasn't just the lucky player and his mother who benefited from this win. The retailer also received a bonus of $10,000 or one percent of the prize amount for selling the winning ticket.

When asked about his plans for the winnings, the "Holiday Gold" winner had only one person in mind. "First things first, I'm splitting this prize with my mom and giving her half," he affirmed during a press release. "I never expected to win such a massive prize like this," he confessed to the Lottery staff. "All I can say is — it really is possible."

This cheerful winner 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 left unclaimed. There are also 13 out of 16 second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 488 out of 602 third-tier prizes of $1,000 still up for grabs. The overall odds of winning any prize in this game launched in October are approximately 1 in 3.37.