Winning Lotto Ticket Sold in Glen Ellyn

Someone out there is going to be very happy when they realize that the Little Lotto ticket they bought yesterday at a Glen Ellyn 7-11 convenience store is worth a whopping $250,000.

While the owner of the winning ticket has still not been identified, the lottery player purchased the winning ticket at a 7-11 located at 3S035 Park Blvd., and was able to match all five numbers for the drawing—1, 3, 8, 9 and 21. The odds of winning the top Little Lotto prize are 1 in 575,757.

“Winners have up to a year to bring the ticket in to be claimed,” said Nick Nottoli, spokesman for the Illinois Lottery.

Pat Drase is the franchisee of the 7-11 store in Glen Ellyn that sold the ticket, and said that it’s the biggest winner in the 25 years that she’s been running things.

“Years ago we had a $40,000 winner, but that was probably 20 years ago,” Drase said. “This is the biggest one we’ve ever had.”

Drase has reason to feel like a winner too. She’ll get 1 percent of the ticket’s value worth $2,500, and even though she said she’ll need to split the winnings with 7-11, she's happy to get what she can.

“It’s money that wasn’t there before,” Drase laughed.

Drase said she herself doesn’t play the Lotto very often.

“I buy a ticket for a dollar every once and awhile,” she said. “If it’s one of our regulars I would be very happy to know that." 

Drase said there’s reason for her other Lotto buyers to be happy too.

“They say that once your store wins, it’s more likely to win again,” Drase said.

So what’s a local reporter to do? How about buy their first Little Lotto ticket ever!

Tonight I’ll be playing the numbers 2, 7, 16, 28, 29. Here’s hoping lighting will strike twice.