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An Illinois woman recently won the top prize of $1 million on a scratch-off lottery ticket. After verifying the big win multiple times, her first thought was how she could now pay it forward!
Antoinette 'Toni' Green of Aurora won the $1 million prize, and since collecting her winnings, she told lottery officials:
I've given away over $100,000 already. When I was blessed with this prize, I knew I was finally in a position to give back, to help my friends and family, and to pay it forward.
The winning ticket
Green bought the $1 million winning ticket, which was a $10 Monopoly 50X scratch-off ticket from the Illinois Lottery, from Ruby's Liquor, located at 1535 Butterfield Road in Aurora. This isn't her first stroke of luck, either!
Anup Singh, owner of Ruby's Liquor, told lottery officials:
Toni has won a few smaller prizes here and actually claimed our store as her 'lucky store' — she's been coming regularly ever since. My son, Jas, was working the day she won the million-dollar prize. He said she scratched the ticket and started screaming, 'Oh my gosh!' She then had him scan the ticket multiple times, and sure enough — the $1 million prize was real.
After multiple scans, it seems like everyone finally could believe she had just won $1 million, even though they were all questioning it at first.
Toni exclaimed:
The clerk couldn't believe it, and I couldn't believe it. He said, "Toni, sign your ticket and go straight home — you won a million dollars!" I sat in my car in front of Ruby's in total shock, and then I had an epiphany — I can help others, I can make a difference in somebody's life with this money.
Paying it forward
Green is a former longtime school bus driver before the pandemic hit in 2020. Most recently, she is a Certified Medical Assistant, so she has been taking care of others for as long as she can remember. With the big lottery win, she could be taking care of herself with that $1 million, but she is still thinking of others.
Toni told lottery officials:
I get joy out of seeing other people's happiness — and wondering how I can help be a part of that. The other day, I overheard a young woman who could only afford a gallon of gas, and I paid the clerk to fill up her tank. It's not about what you can do for yourself, but what you can do for others.
Green isn't the only big winner
Besides Toni winning $1 million, Ruby's Liquor in Aurora is also cashing in on the winning ticket. For selling the ticket to Green, the store will receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount, or $10,000, from the Illinois Lottery.
The owner is ecstatic about the bonus and joked with lottery officials:
Our store has only been open for a couple of years, so it's very exciting to receive this bonus from the Illinois Lottery — it's definitely a big boost for our business. We hope to spend the bonus on more inventory for our store, and if my son really is lucky, I might give a little bit to him for selling the winning ticket.
2024 is a good year for scratch-off winners
Toni isn't the only person in Illinois enjoying an instant ticket win. So far this year, the Illinois Lottery has sold more than 36 million scratch-off tickets, netting players over $926 million in prizes.
Currently, the Illinois Lottery offers a range of scratch-off tickets ranging from $1 to $50, all available at about 7,000 retail locations across the state.
Enjoy playing the Illinois Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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