Lottery player thought he won $1,000. Then ‘a few more zeroes popped up’

A $12 million jackpot enticed an Illinois man to buy a lottery ticket as he was filling up his vehicle with gas.

One day later, his win caused him to freak out.

The man said he hadn’t purchased a lottery ticket “in a while,” but while at a Citgo gas station in Justice the jackpot for the Lotto game caught his eye.

He bought $10 worth of tickets, then learned the next day a winning ticket was sold in Justice.

“That’s where I bought my ticket, so I scanned mine with the app,” he told lottery officials. “At first, I thought I won $1,000. Then I scanned it again, and a few more zeroes popped up.”

He matched all six green numbers — 5, 11, 16, 23, 25 and 39 — to win a $1 million prize.

“I had to do a double take and scanned it about 20 more times before it finally sank in. I was freaking out,” the winner said.

Odds of winning $1 million in Lotto are 1 in 15,890,700.

He’s still trying to figure out what to do with his winnings, but he knows just who to ask to help him out.

“My friends are in the financial industry, so I’m hoping they’ll help me invest wisely. But one thing’s for sure — I’ll be using some of it for my wedding and honeymoon next year,” he said.

Justice is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Chicago.

This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Lottery player thought he won $1,000. Then ‘a few more zeroes popped up’."