Woman rushes to hide lottery ticket after seeing prize. ‘Almost peed my pants’
_fitted.png "The woman plans to use some of her winnings to go on a vacation with her father, she told Illinois Lottery officials.")
An Illinois woman scrambled to hide her lottery ticket after discovering she had won — and won big — while grocery shopping.
The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, bought the ticket at a Jewel-Osco grocery store in Westchester, a suburb in west Chicago, lottery officials said in an April 23 news release.
“I decided to pick up a scratch-off ticket just for fun,” she said, with no idea that the $30 she spent on a Cash Fortune ticket was about to pay off tremendously.
“I scratched it right there in the store — and when I saw I’d won $3,000,000, I couldn’t believe it. I scanned it at the machine to be sure, and when it confirmed the win, I almost peed my pants!” she told lottery officials.
She had won the grand prize, according to officials. In an instant, protecting the ticket became her top priority.
“I bolted to my car as fast as I could so I could get home and stash the ticket somewhere safe. I ended up hiding it in a pretty unusual spot … but that secret’s staying with me,” she said.
The unnamed winner collected her prize along with her father, and the two posed for a photo, concealing their identities behind a massive check paid to the order of “Dynamic Duo.”
“My dad enjoys playing scratch-offs, and I just enjoy spending time with him,” she said.
They plan on taking a vacation together, paid for by the winnings.
“And of course, my Dad is coming with me — there’s no way I’d go without him!” she said.
Westchester is a roughly 15-mile drive west from downtown Chicago.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Woman rushes to hide lottery ticket after seeing prize. ‘Almost peed my pants’."