Illinois man who honored late wife with lottery number choices wins $1 million

CHICAGO — An Illinois man who honored his late wife by playing a certain set of lottery numbers is now $1 million richer.

The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, bought a ticket for the May 20 Lotto Million 1 drawing, the Illinois Lottery said in a Friday news release.

The ticket was purchased at a BP gas station in Wadsworth, a town located approximately 45 miles north of Chicago. The man split the cost of the ticket with his adult children, and now they all will share the wealth.

“Our family likes to play the same numbers in various Lottery games from time to time, and the numbers are very near and dear to our hearts,” the daughter of the winner told lottery officials in a statement. “Since our mom passed away, we include numbers related to her that hold significant meaning for all of us.”

The winning numbers for the May 20 Lotto drawing were 2-8-10-18-22-28, lottery officials said.

For selling the winning ticket, the BP gasoline station in Wadsworth will receive a $10,000 bunus.

“I actually saw a news story that a ticket was won nearby, the man’s daughter told lottery officials. “So when my dad called me that night and said ‘I have big news -- guess what?’ I rained on his parade when I said ‘We won a million dollars?’ He hadn’t seen the article yet.

“Everyone is really excited, but nobody is more excited than my dad!”

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