Chicago Mom Wins $400,000 on a $5 Illinois Lottery Ticket

A quick convenience-store stop turned into a $400,000 payday for a Chicago mom after she bought a $5 Illinois Lottery scratch-off.

The mother of three picked up an “In the Money” ticket at California Enterprises in Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood earlier this month. She soon realized something incredible had happened—but she had to check the ticket several times to believe it.

“I thought I was losing my mind. I lost track of how many times I checked the results,” she said.

She scanned the ticket repeatedly at the store’s kiosk and then used the Illinois Lottery app to double-check. Every scan delivered the same exciting news: she had won the game’s top prize of $400,000.

Now that she has claimed her winnings, she already has plans for the money:

• Investing in her children’s education
• Treating her kids to a back-to-school shopping spree

What started as an ordinary trip to the store ended with a life-changing lottery win—and a big surprise for her three children.