Scratch-off lottery ticket sold in Mount Prospect pays $3 million

A scratch-off lottery ticket purchased at a Mount Prospect gas station paid off to the tune of $3 million, Illinois Lottery officials said.

“This is such happy news,” Benny Lukose, manager of the BP station at 1625 E. Euclid Ave., said in a statement released by the lottery. “While we sell a lot of lottery tickets, I can definitely recognize our regular customers - so I bet I'll know the winner. I hope the lucky winner stops in to tell us, so we can share in the excitement of their big win.”

For selling the $30 Cash Fortune ticket, the BP station will receive a $30,000 bonus - 1% of the prize.

“This couldn't have come at a better time,” Lukose said. “Business can be slow at times due to competitors, so with this bonus, we plan to use it to cover some business expenses. We are very grateful.”

So far this year, more than 50 million winning instant tickets have been sold in the state, paying out more than $1.1 billion in prizes, lottery officials said.

In the meantime, the Powerball jackpot has risen to $1.73 billion, the second-largest prize in U.S. history, after there were no grand prize winners in Monday night's drawing. The next drawing will take place Wednesday.