Illinois Visitor Wins Big With Multi-Million Lottery Jackpot

CHICAGO, IL — A visitor to Chicago was seeing the sights and exploring the city when he scored the ultimate souvenir — a winning lottery ticket worth more than $3 million.

Nicknamed "Traveling Treasure," the anonymous tourist bought the winning ticket for the FastPlay Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game during his visit tothe Windy City.

"I’ve been to Chicago before, but never had the chance to explore the tourist spots, so on this trip I made sure to see as much as I could," he said. "I visited the Skydeck at Willis Tower, checked out some filming locations from 'Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,' and of course, I couldn’t leave without seeing The Bean."

Before heading to his hotel one evening, "Traveling Treasure" stopped at a nearby convenience store. “I noticed the Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game had a pretty high prize amount at the time, so I decided to try my luck and bought a ticket," he said. "When I got back to the hotel and checked it, I saw that I’d won the jackpot — over $3 million! It was a moment of shock and awe, and I completely froze."

"Traveling Treasure" bought the ticket at Komal Wine and Liquor, 4628 N. Cumberland Avenue, not far from O'Hare.

Asked how he plans to use his winnings, he said, "I’ve been wanting to buy a house for a while, but with how expensive real estate is these days, it just hasn’t been possible. Then, I recently found out my landlord is selling the apartment I’ve been renting, so now I have to move out. I feel incredibly lucky – this win couldn’t have come at a better time!"

For selling the winning ticket, Komal Wine and Liquor will get a 1 percent bonus of the prize amount, totaling just over $31,000.