Northbrook gas station sells winning $1M Mega Millions ticket

When the Illinois Lottery called the Dundee & Sanders BP gas station in Northbrook Wednesday to say a winning $1 million ticket in Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing was bought there, a shocked and excited manager Messi Peraza dropped the phone.

Assuredly, he was not nearly as thrilled as the customer whose winning ticket matched five of the Feb. 7 drawing numbers — 9-15-46-55-57 — or even as much as store owner Ratti Singh.

“Of course I am excited, my friend,” Singh said.

The lucky winner, who Singh believes bought the ticket within several days of the drawing, had not redeemed the ticket by Thursday morning.

“Nobody has come forward yet,” Singh said. “I hope somebody I know has hit the million dollars, so hopefully somebody will come forward and share the winning news.”

Winners have one year to claim their prize, according to an Illinois Lottery representative.

There's a good chance Singh does know the winner, the second Illinois Lottery player to win at least $1 million playing Mega Millions this year.

Singh said he's owned the store on Northbrook's northwest corner, several blocks east of I-294 Expressway, for more than 25 years. He said the majority of his customers are regulars.

“The last 25 years, they get to know me by name, by my phone number. It's like a family relationship with the community,” said Singh, who updates large lottery totals on a store window to notify customers.

The million-dollar ticket, which tops the $25,000 and $5,000 winners the Dundee & Sanders BP lottery machine has spit out in the past, comes with a perk to the station.

Retailers recoup a 1% bonus of the prize amount. Singh, in a “win-win situation,” will receive $10,000 due to Tuesday's winner.

“We will reinvest in our business and try to do some improvements inside the store,” Singh said. He hopes to expand the station's small food market over the next several years.

According to the Illinois Lottery, more than 19,000 winning tickets were sold for the Feb. 7 Mega Millions drawing.

The big one — the Mega Millions jackpot worth an estimated $50 million — still is in play for the next drawing at 10 p.m. Friday.

“I'm sure our community would be excited to buy that at our location,” Singh said. “If luck is favoring Northbrook, why not in the future as well?”