West Dundee store sells $250,000 lottery ticket

One lucky soul who bought a lottery ticket from a West Dundee grocery store is about to be $250,000 richer.

Dundee Supermart on 200 W. Washington Street sold a winning second-place ticket for the Mega Millions drawing, worth $250,000. The ticket matched all five numbers in Tuesday's drawing — 20, 24, 32, 45 and 51 — except the Mega Ball number of 43. The Mega Millions jackpot is now $19 million and the next drawing is Friday.

The winner has not yet claimed the $250,000 prize, and has up to a year from the date of the drawing to do so, said Tracy Owens, spokesman for the Illinois Lottery.

Meanwhile, for selling the winning ticket, Dundee Supermart will receive a separate payment of $2,500, or 1 percent of the jackpot, Owens said.

In the nearly four years since owner Vick Patel bought the business, he said he has sold two winning lottery tickets — the other last year, another Mega Millions drawing.

Business has been slow lately and the $2,500 Patel will receive from Illinois Lottery will help him invest in publicizing his business and improving its structure.

Patel said he also hopes the news that his store sold a winning ticket encourages others to buy their tickets there.

“That'd be nice,” Patel said.

If you were the winner in Tuesday's drawing, call (800) 252-1775.

Authorities from Illinois Lottery advise winners to sign the back of their winning ticket so nobody else can claim the prize, in the event the ticket is misplaced.