A winning $1 million lottery ticket was sold at a gas station in Deerfield and a $50,000 ticket was sold in Huntley for Monday’s drawing as the Powerball jackpot soars to $1.7 billion.
The Illinois Lottery said the Powerball jackpot has increased to an estimated $1.7 billion for Wednesday evening’s drawing, “offering a potentially life-changing prize just in time for Christmas Eve.”
The prize would rank as the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot in U.S. history if won.
The jackpot rolled over following Monday night’s drawing when no ticket matched all six winning numbers — 3, 18, 36, 41, 54, with Powerball 7.
Several Illinois players still celebrated major wins in the Monday evening drawing despite no jackpot winner.
A player who purchased a ticket at the Mobil gas station at 650 Waukegan Road in Deerfield scored $1 million by matching five white ball numbers.
Another player at the Circle K in Rantoul won $100,000 by matching four numbers plus the Powerball and opting for the Power Play feature.
Seven other Illinois players each won $50,000 by matching four numbers and the Powerball.
One of those $50,000 winners purchased their ticket at the Walmart in Huntley.
The Illinois Lottery said they encourage all players to check their tickets carefully. Winners have one year to claim their prize.
The current Powerball jackpot run began on September 7.
More than 1.5 million winning tickets have been sold statewide since then, awarding players over $18.4 million in prizes and generating more than $33 million for the Illinois Common School Fund, which supports K-12 public education.
Powerball sales also benefit local retailers, who earn commissions on every ticket sold and receive a 1% selling bonus of the prize amount on any winning ticket.
Lottery officials say customers should gift smart during the holiday season and never give lottery tickets to a minor.