A shy man quit his job after becoming a millionaire on a lottery scratchcard… then hid behind his winning cheque.
The lucky winner, named only as ‘Mr. M’ by lottery officials, said he plans to move closer to his children so he can spoil the grandkids.
He explained: “I buy different tickets from time to time.
“But on this day, I saw the blue 50X Payout ticket and had a good gut feeling about it.
“I chose to take a chance and buy it, and boy, am I glad I did.”
The grandfather, of Chicago, Illinois, US, ended scooping the £796,660 ($1 million) top prize.
But he held up his huge cheque to cover his face and protect his identity.
Only the top half of his bespectacled face can be seen.
The industrial mechanic told Illinois State Lottery: “I was going to retire next year – but now I don’t have to wait.
“It’s time I focus on what really matters, my family.
“With this money, I can retire early, and I’m going to move closer to my kids to be more present in their lives.
“I’m also a grandfather, and it’s finally time for me to enjoy spoiling my grandkids.”
He added: “I’m going to buy a condo near my kids, and trade in my car for a pickup truck to help out my daughter who is always paying delivery fees for things – I can now be her deliveryman, and I won’t charge her a penny.”
Mr. M bought his winning 50X Payout scratchcard at Harlem Food & Liquors in Harwood Heights near Chicago, Illinois.
The shop will receive a bonus of £7,966 ($10,000) for selling the winning ticket.
Store spokesperson Kaushik Patel said: “Mr. M is a regular customer who comes into our store often.
“He actually bought the very last 50X Payout ticket in our machine.
“He then came back the next day and said ‘hey buddy, I got a million-dollar win from you!’
“He was so happy and smiling so big – it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
Last month, a lucky lady bagged a million on the lottery while killing time as her hubby got a haircut.
Mary Leary bought Massachusetts State Lottery’s ‘$4,000,000 Diamonds’ scratchcard for £8 ($10).
While her husband was busy getting a short back and sides, Mary scratched off her ticket and scooped £806,320 ($1 million).
The odds of her winning the jackpot were 1 in 1.792 million.
