South Side Powerball ticket giveaway ahead of $1 billion Halloween night drawing

CHICAGO – It was no fluke Monday morning Powerball jackpot contenders on the Chicago side.

The Illinois Lottery celebrated Halloween by giving away more than 500 free Powerball tickets ahead of Monday night’s billion-dollar drawing. The lottery, which was held at the Lucky Mart in the 2900 block of W 87th Street from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., saw players enter a cash machine full of Powerball tickets.

The goal was simple: grab as many tickets as possible.

The Chicago Lucky Mart is one of the luckiest places in the state, with winning tickets totaling more than $3 million.

Monday’s estimated $1 billion jackpot was the fifth-largest jackpot in U.S. history and the second-largest Powerball jackpot. Two Illinois state winners declared in September historic $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot drawn in July. It was the nation the third largest lottery prize.