River Grove, IL – June 27, 2012 – Illinois Lottery officials presented an oversized check for $10,000 to a J.J. Peppers Food Store, 8358 West Grand Avenue in River Grove. The lucky, winning store sold a winning Mega Millions ticket which matched all five numbers – 09 - 15 - 21 - 40 – 54 during the May 29th drawing. By selecting the Megaplier® feature, the winning ticket was instantly increased from $250,000 to $1 million.
Megaplier is a special feature that allows a winner to multiply the original prize amount. Players can multiply their Mega Millions prizes by 2, 3 or 4 times and does not include the jackpot. The Match 5 white balls prize with Megaplier option will always be multiplied 4X’s for a $1 million prize.
Nicole Cristofano, one of the family members who owns the store, is thrilled about the good news. “We’ve had lots of smaller prizes like $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000,” she recalled. “We are excited to share the happiness that comes along with a lottery win of this size. This win is a life changing event!” she exclaimed.
QUICK MEGA MILLIONS FACTS
· Current jackpot is $75 million.
· Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery game played in 42 states plus the District of Columbia and the U. S. Virgin Islands for a total of 44 jurisdictions.
· Mega Millions jackpots start at $12 million.
· Each play costs just $1.00.
· The very first jackpot Mega Millions winning ticket was sold on May 17, 2002, in Chatham, IL and resulted in a $28 million jackpot prize.
· Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 p.m. CT.
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About Illinois Lottery
Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $17 billion to the state Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as the Capital Projects Fund. Players must be at least 18 years old.