A Chicago woman won $1 million with a scratch-off lottery ticket this week.
Retiree Laura Cannon was at home when she used a nickel to scratch off a ticket and realized she’d won, according to a statement from the Illinois Lottery. She initially thought she had won $100,000 and was surprised by the prize amount when she claimed her winnings Tuesday.
“When they scanned my ticket at the Illinois Lottery office and told me I actually won a million dollars, I couldn’t believe it!” Cannon said. “I started shaking!”
Cannon chose to receive her prize as a one-time payment of $600,000 because that option had less required withholding. She plans to share the money with her family and donate to charity.
The winning ticket was purchased out of a self-service machine at the Mobil gas station at 4804 W. Madison. The gas station will receive a bonus of $10,000, of 1 percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.
