Illinois Newlyweds Win $3 Million From Scratch-Off

How's this for a foundation to start a life together?

Money is a chat that comes up at least once before a couple gets married. Budgeting for the wedding, trying to figure out what expenses will look like together. But one couple in Illinois really got lucky. In the lottery, that is.

In what might be the universe's greatest wedding gift ever, a newlywed couple claimed a pretty hefty prize off of a scratch-off ticket that was bought in Cary, Illinois.

The Illinois Lottery says that the $3 million win came from a scratch-off game called Titanium Black 7's. The winner says he bought the ticket because his birthday is 7-7-77. Here's his story of how it played out:

I bought four Instant Tickets at my local convenience store and the last one that I scratched-off was the winning ticket! I was definitely in shock but my wife’s reaction was total disbelief, and it remained that way until the day we claimed our prize.

It sounds like the couple (who is remaining anonymous) has some smart plans for their new money. He said they plan to save for their kids' college funds, add some to their retirement savings, and go on more regular family vacations.

The winning ticket was bought at Volume Liquors, which is at 382 Northwest Highway in Cary (50 miles northwest of Chicago, 60 miles east of Rockford). For selling the winning ticket, the store gets $30,000.

Congratulations to the happy couple! That seems like a good sign for their marriage for sure.