An Illinois man has credited his grandmother with his $1 million lottery win after a chance meeting at a petrol station. The anonymous winner, who calls himself 'Grandma is my lucky charm,' decided to buy a Powerball ticket during his lunch break on the day of the $240m jackpot draw.
Arriving at a Road Ranger gas station, he spotted a car that looked like his grandmother's. 'Guess what? It was her car, and she was right by the cash register, checking out,' he recalled. After purchasing his ticket and hugging her, he returned to work hours before the October 11 draw.
When he checked his ticket, it matched all five numbers: 13-16-18-20-27, winning $1,000,004. 'I scanned it and it said “You won $1,000,004.” I didn’t believe it, so I scanned it again. That’s when I started screaming and hyperventilating,' he said. He immediately called his grandmother, who asked, 'Are you sure you won?'
The winner plans to share his windfall with his grandmother, calling her his 'good luck charm,' and intends to buy a new car. The Road Ranger store will also receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. The Illinois Lottery has seen 12 Powerball prizes of $1m or more in 2025.
This comes after a Michigan man won a $1m prize by purchasing a lottery ticket left behind by another customer, highlighting a string of fortunate lottery encounters.
