Illinois Woman Finds $1 Million in Her Purse — And Gets to Keep It. Here's Why. A woman scanned a forgotten lottery ticket in her bag and got the surprise of her life.

By David James

Got a lot of clutter? Here's a good reason to Marie Kondo your life — and purse.

Last month, a woman made a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy a Lucky Day Lotto ticket while shopping for groceries in Elmhurst, Illinois. She bought the ticket, stuck it in her purse, and promptly forgot it existed, per CNN.

On October 20, the winning numbers were revealed: 2-3-24-25-28. The woman (who has chosen to remain anonymous) had those numbers but didn't know it.

Related: A New Yorker Won a $10 Million Lottery Jackpot — Twice. A Neighbor Said His Incredible Luck Didn't Change Him.

"A couple days after the drawing, I saw the ticket in my purse and opened my lottery app to scan my ticket and check if it was a winner. I immediately saw $1,000,000 on the screen and I was in total shock," she told lottery officials. "I scanned the ticket one more time to double-check, and when it showed "$1,000,000" again, I instantly started crying."

She said she plans to travel with her winnings.

Inspired to take a trip to Illinois to try your luck? According to Lottery USA, the odds of winning the jackpot for Lucky Day Lotto are 1 in 1.22 million. But it is a daily game, so you have plenty of chances. Bring an extra large purse.

David James

BIZ Experiences Staff

Staff writer

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