UPTOWN — Someone out there bought a winning lottery ticket from an Uptown convenience store — but it's unclear whether the winner even knows.
The Illinois Lotto is holding a $150,000 surprise for whoever purchased a Lucky Day Lotto ticket from MyShop Convenience Store at 4600 N. Magnolia Ave., and played the numbers 18-24-26-28-32 in Sunday's drawing.
It's not $1 million — but most people still consider $150,000 a lot of money.
"That's a Christmas gift," said grinning store owner Uday Karna, 25.
Karna already got his cut. He said he realized the winning ticket was from his store when a $1,500 commission payment rolled in a few days ago.
Karna gets his cut even though the person who purchased the winning ticket has yet to claim the prize, Illinois Lotto spokesman Michael Lang said .
An official with the Multi-State Lottery Association told CNN in November that about $800 million in lottery winnings went uncollected last year.
If nobody steps forward for Sunday's prize, however, the store still sold a winning ticket — and that could bring a certain luck of its own.
"People tend to like to buy tickets out of locations that have sold winners recently," Lang said.
Karna hopes as much.
"This is a winning store right now," he said.
Karna's business has sold several winning tickets totaling hundred of dollars since he opened it next door to Starbucks about four months ago. This $150,000 award tops all, Karna said. Now, he eagerly awaits another award: an official Illinois Lotto banner declaring that his store sold a big prize.
He is excited for whatever the extra publicity brings him.
"Maybe a girlfriend," Karna said, laughing. "But not a wife."