Birthday celebrations came a little early for one Steve Saigh of Kewanee after he scratched his way to a million-dollar top prize on a $5 Onyx Instant ticket just days before his birthday.

“This win came just in time,” said Saigh. “I’ll tell you what, this is the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten.”

The million-dollar win came just weeks after Saigh narrowly missed out on another big prize. Saigh said he was debating between two $5 tickets.

“I picked one that didn’t win, but my coworker bought one of the other ones and won $10,000,” he said.

He took that as a sign to try his luck again. Saigh discovered his life changing prize during a quiet evening at home.

“I was watching TV and scratching the ticket with one of those vintage coins,” he said. “I told myself, ‘This will be my lucky token today’, and it sure was.”

After revealing the winning prize, Saigh downloaded the Illinois Lottery app and scanned the ticket to confirm the $1 million win.

As for what’s next, he plans to invest in several home improvement projects, including building a new garage. He also has his sights set on buying another car.

“But most importantly,” he said, “I’m looking forward to spending more time in Arizona during the winter. My son lives there, so it’ll be great to visit him more often.”

Saigh purchased the winning ticket at Beck’s North, located at 401 E. 2nd St. in Kewanee. For selling the winning ticket, the retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus, equal to 1% of the prize amount.