A suburban Chicago man wants to keep his recent $300,000 Illinois Lottery winnings in the family.
“I plan to share this prize with my parents," Petros Marinakos, 36, of Lincolnwood said in a statement. "They have always taken care of me so I want to take care of them."
After Marinakos bought his Lucky Day Lotto ticket, he gave it to his dad before heading to work. Marinakos jokingly asked him to take care of his "winning ticket" and check it after the drawing. His father went back to the gas station and scanned it.
“When my dad told me I won, I couldn’t believe it," Marinakos said. "I was joking when I called it a winning ticket. I never believed it would be!”
So how will Marinakos share the money with his parents?
“Today it’s all about them," he said. "I’d like to buy them a new car, but I’ll do whatever they prefer.”
Marinakos said his parents are originally from Greece, and he was born and raised in Chicago.
The winning ticket was purchased at Lincoln Mobil, 6777 North Lincoln Avenue, in Lincolnwood.
