Illinois Lottery player recycles numbers from old ticket, wins $1M Powerball prize
An Illinois Lottery player is celebrating after numbers from an old, tucked-away ticket won him $1 million in a Powerball drawing earlier this month.
The player, who wanted to go by "Rex," said he used the same numbers from an old Powerball ticket while trying to win the then $1.8 billion prize.
The ticket was sold at Joe's Tobacco and Vape and Phone Repair Shop at 1945 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora, Illinois. The ticket matched all five numbers in the Sept. 3 Powerball drawing to win the $1 million prize.
Those numbers were: 3, 16, 29, 61, and 69.
"I woke up the next day after the drawing, had my second cup of coffee, and suddenly remembered to check the numbers," Rex said. "It took a whole day to sink in.
For selling the winning ticket, the store will receive a $10,000 bonus.
Rex, who has a passion for cars, plans to use the prize money to purchase a new car and share gifts with loved ones.
So far this year, eight Illinois players have won prizes of $1 million or more with Powerball, lottery officials said.
The next Powerball drawing will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 9:59 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in-store or online via the Illinois Lottery website and mobile app. Powerball tickets are $2 each, and players can add the Power Play for an additional $1 for the chance to multiply non-jackpot prizes.