Esteban Ramos made a promise to his niece Alexis a couple of years ago. “She said, ‘Uncle Esteban, if you ever win the lotto,’ if she could have $600,” Esteban recalled. “I said ‘Oh, OK.’ She said, ‘Make it a pinkie promise.’”

And uncle Esteban now has all the intention to fulfill that promise because he is now the winner of $1 million Powerball. He will also share the winnings with his wife. One of the first things that this couple talked about after learning that they had won the lottery is that they would love to purchase a home. Lottery checker

Esteban and Linda are hardworking couple. The day that they went to receive their check was the first time Esteban, a machine operator at Production Cutting Services in East Moline, had missed a day on the job.

“I’ll be at work (today),” he said.

Esteban came to the United States in 1978 and became a citizen in 1999. In addition to the job at Production Cutting Services, he has worked as a meat cutter. Lottery winning numbers

The winning ticket was bought at a Q-C Mart at 1402 State St. in Bettendorf. Esteban makes routine trips to cross the Mississippi to purchase gasoline because it is cheaper in Iowa than Illinois. He plays both the Illinois and Iowa lottery games and said he will still play the lottery even after this millionaire win.

The Q-C Mart will get $1,000 for selling the winning ticket.

Linda, who works as a dispatcher for a school bus company, said she and her husband discovered they had the winning ticket last week. However, they wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving to claim their prize so they could share the news with the family over the holiday — and because the state offices were closed Thursday and Friday.

The couple matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball number. Still, Esteban had added the Power Play to his ticket for an additional $1 per play, which increased his $200,000 prize to $1 million. Of that, he’ll take home about $700,000 after taxes.

Actually that will be $699,400 after he fulfills his promise to Alexis.

It seems that the Ramos family will not only have a very happy holiday season but will also give the right message to their next generation, by fulfilling his promise, Esteban will make his word be worth in gold. What better value to pass to others than to show that even when you become a millionaire, you will honor your promises. Even more significant is that promise was made to a child; this is the sort of things that makes us believe in Santa and with it all the goodness and warmth that this season brings.