A winning Powerball ticket worth $1 million was sold at the BP gas station on Brookdale Road and Route 59, according to the Illinois Lottery.
The winner bought the ticket July 24 but has not yet come forward, said Lottery spokeswoman Jessica Perez, noting the rules give the ticket holder up to one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.
“I’m excited for that person,” said Laura Espinoza, general manager of the BP station at 1983 Brookdale Road. “Hopefully the money is used for anything that makes them feel good. It’s life-changing money.”
It’s also is one of the larger lottery prizes sold at a Naperville business in recent years. In May 2018, a $1.45 million Lucky Day Lotto Quick Pick ticket was sold at a Mobil station in Naperville and a few months before that, a $1 million St. Patrick’s Day Millionaire Raffle ticket was purchased at a Naperville liquor store.
In 2015, a Naperville man bought a Mega Millions ticket in Glendale Heights worth $265 million, which at the time was the largest payout in Illinois Lottery history.
Espinoza said she was on vacation when the store owner was informed the winning ticket had been sold at the Naperville business.
“It was exciting that someone here won so much money at the store,” she said.
While players have won cash prizes at the gas station in the past, this one is easily the biggest dollar amount, Espinoza said.
The winner needs to “sign the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they are ready to claim their prize,” lottery officials said in a statement. “Players can find instructions on how to claim their prize by visiting the When You Win page on the Illinois Lottery website.”
This is the 13th Powerball ticket worth $1 million sold in Illinois this year, according to the Illinois Lottery. Another 28 Powerball players have won $50,000 prizes in 2021.
The BP gas station will receive a selling bonus of 1% of the prize amount, or $10,000. Espinoza said they do not know yet how the business will use the money.
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