Three is a magic number, at least it might be for one Chicago resident.
Christopher Kaelin, an occasional lottery player, won the same lottery game three times in three weeks, officials announced Wednesday.
“I never expected to win,” Kaelin told Illinois lottery officials earlier this month, “especially not three times.”
Kaelin said his first win came during his lunch break when he bought a Crossword instant ticket at Gateway Newstand on Clark Street in Chicago and won $25,000.
“My fiancé and I were so thrilled that I won $25,000, we went out for dinner to celebrate,” he said.
After their celebratory dinner, the couple stopped at a gas station where Kaelin decided to buy another Crossword ticket and won $1,000.
The following week, he stopped at the same store where he purchased his $25,000 winning ticket and bought his third Crossword instant ticket. He said he was in his office when he used a key to scratch the ticket and realized he had won what he thought was $25,000.
“I was in the elevator when I took another look at my ticket and noticed I had the tenth word. The prize wasn’t $25,000 -- it was $250,000,” he said. “I was shocked.”
In total, Kaelin won $276,000.
