Illinois Lottery Player Wins $1 Million With Holiday Scratch-Off Ticket Bought In Fairview Heights
Photo caption: An Illinois Lottery player, who chose to remain anonymous, after winning the top prize of $1,000,000 with a $20 scratch-off ticket.
CHICAGO, November 3, 2025 – A southern Illinois Lottery player is feeling like pure gold after winning the top prize on a $1,000,000 Holiday Gold scratch-off ticket.
“I’m a big fan of the holiday-themed lottery tickets,” expressed the lucky winner, who requested to stay anonymous. “As soon as this year’s holiday tickets were available, my mom and I went to the store to see what they looked like, and I decided to try my luck on a $20 one.”
The $1,000,000 Holiday Gold winning scratch-off ticket was purchased at Sav-On Liquor & Wine, inside a Phillips 66 gas station in Fairview Heights, located at 10040 Lincoln Trail.
After purchasing the ticket, the player left it with their mom to scratch, and then headed home. “Later that day, my mom called me screaming that she was holding a $1 million dollar winning ticket,” shared the lucky winner. “Of course I didn’t believe her – I thought, ‘There’s no way…’”
“But I heard the excitement in her voice, so I dropped what I was doing, and ran out the door so fast to go to her house that I forgot to close my front door!” laughed Holiday Gold Winner. “When I saw my mom and the winning ticket, I realized it was real – we really had a $1 million winning ticket in our hands. We both started jumping up and down and screaming with joy together.”
For selling the winning ticket, Sav-On Liquor & Wine in Fairview Heights will receive a bonus of one percent of the prize amount, or $10,000.
As for what the lucky winner plans to do with their prize? “First things first, I’m splitting this prize with my mom and giving her half.”
So far this year, 55 Illinois Lottery players have purchased winning scratch-off tickets worth $1 million or more.
“I just never expected that I would win a big prize like this,” the winner expressed. “All I can say is - it really is possible.”
The Illinois Lottery currently offers a range of Holiday Instant Ticket games priced from $1 to $20, available at nearly 7,000 retail locations across Illinois.
Instant Tickets b-roll, produced by the Illinois Lottery, is available for the media; download here.
Playing the lottery should be a fun form of entertainment. Please remember to set a limit and stick to it. Be Smart, Play Smart®. Must be 18 or older to play. Game odds available at IllinoisLottery.com.
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About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $25 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary beneficiary, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.