A LOTTERY winner had to check three times before she finally believed she had scored $250,000 on a scratch-off ticket.
Lisa Tyrrell has always been optimistic and considers herself a dreamer.
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Those are good qualities to have when you're an avid lottery player like she is.
Her years of buying scratch-offs finally paid off when she won $250,000 on a crossword ticket.
“I scratched off the ticket and it showed I won $250,000. I said ‘No way, this can’t be real,’” Tyrrell told Illinois lottery officials.
“Sure enough, I scanned it not once, not twice, but three times, and it was real after all!”
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She bought the ticket at a Jumpin' Jimmy's gas station located in Litchfield, a small town about 40 miles south of Springfield.
The owner of the gas station, Chandresh Patel, was equally surprised by the win.
“When I found out she won the top prize, I couldn’t believe it! I am so happy for her," he said.
Tyrrell is a regular at Patel's store, where she usually buys crossword-themed scratch-offs.
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“I’ve always dreamed about what I would do if I won a lot of money, and now, my dreams will soon be a reality,” she said.
“I plan to use the money to buy my own car and a house. I feel like the luckiest woman alive.
I see lottery tickets being bought every day – I’d recommend same scratch card everytime, there’s ‘little risk’“I have eight grandkids. I am so excited to be able to use a portion of the money to spoil them a little bit.”
Jumpin' Jimmy's will also get a payment for selling the winning ticket.
This isn't the first time, either. The store sold a winning ticket in 2016 worth $75,000, leading Patel to wonder if he's a "lucky charm."
CLAIM YOUR CASH
Lottery officials in Illinois are currently on the hunt for the winner of a $10.4 million jackpot.
Someone in the state hit it big on the February 1 drawing for the state's "Lotto" game.
The winning ticket was bought at a Shell in Park Ridge, Illinois, outside Chicago.
“I am so excited for the winner!” exclaimed Mohammed Menoor, owner of the gas station.
“This morning, I told each customer, ‘Someone won big, check your tickets.’"
The numbers to look for are 12, 23, 36, 39, 41, 48, and 5.
The winner has 60 days from the draw date to come forward if they want to opt for the lump sum.
If they claim it any later than that, they'll have to take annuity payments.
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Another unclaimed prize worth $50,000 remains unclaimed.
Plus, see why a lottery player who won $1 million only got half of that amount.
