CHICAGO, IL – Winning big money from the Illinois Lottery is nothing new to Jackie White of Broadview, Illinois. The 45-year-old construction worker took home a whopping $12,500 on a Pick 3 purchase just a few years ago.

But a recent purchase of the Illinois Lottery’s $250 Million Millionaire’s Club super ticket left him stunned. White purchased the ticket from a retailer inside of the Forest Park CTA train station, and to his amazement, scratched the instant ticket to find out he had just won a cool $1 million.

“I just couldn’t believe it. I almost had a heart attack,” said White, who regularly purchases a variety of instant tickets. “I know how to play this game, but when I saw that I had won the million dollars, I just didn’t think it was for real. So I took the ticket back to the store and had it scanned. That’s when the retailer told me that the ticket was indeed for real.”

White, who with his wife Zelma has three children, says he will invest the money immediately but has no plans to quit his job. He also intends to continue playing the Lottery daily.

His advice for winning: “Just keep playing. I used to think that winning something that big wasn’t going to happen for me, but it really can happen. One thing’s for sure, if you don’t play, you’ll never win!”

Illinois Lottery Acting Superintendent Jodie Winnett says the Millionaire’s Club ticket offers a unique winning experience. “We’re always thrilled when someone comes in to claim a prize of this size. Mr. White now stands as one of Illinois’ newest millionaires, and we couldn’t be happier about his good fortune. Hopefully he’ll inspire even more people to play to win!”