$10 scratcher wins a million bucks for Cary lottery player

A spur-of-the-moment decision turned into a million-dollar prize for an Illinois Lottery player in Cary.

The player, who chose to remain anonymous, won the $1 million on a $10 scratch-off ticket.

“I was planning to buy a different scratch-off game,” the winner said in a press release from the Illinois Lottery. “But as I looked over the other options, this ticket stood out. It was as if my vision blocked out all the other tickets — this one was meant to be.”

The winning “Ultimate Bonus Payout” scratch-off ticket was purchased at the Jewel-Osco at 696 Northwest Highway in Cary.

As a reward for selling the winning ticket, the store will receive a $10,000 bonus, 1% of the prize amount.

The newly minted millionaire said the song “Money” by Pink Floyd was playing in the background when she realized the ticket was a winner.

“I scratched the last symbol and immediately FaceTimed my son, repeating over and over, ‘I’m going to have a heart attack — I just won $1 million!’,” she said.

The woman said she planned to share the winnings with about 15 family members and a close friend, in addition to scratching a few things off her “bucket list.”

“I want to buy a car with a sunroof and take a vacation somewhere in the Keys with my husband, where I can swim with dolphins,” she said.

It was the 35th scratch-off prize worth $1 million or more claimed by an Illinois Lottery player in 2025.