Waukegan resident wins $200,000 lottery prize after buying two tickets

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- Hilda Lopez, of Waukegan, is now the winner of a $200,000 Illinois Lottery prize after sticking to her strategy.

Lopez said she usually buys two tickets for the same game. This time, the strategy paid off.

"When I decide to play, I always buy two tickets of the same game. My belief is if one ticket is not a winner, the other one will be," she said.

Lopez said she was riding in the car with her husband when she scratched off the two Disco Bingo tickets. After an unsuccessful first ticket, she scratched the second ticket and screamed when she realized that she had won.

"When I scratched the second ticket and saw that I won $200,000, I screamed so loud my husband almost lost his grip on the steering wheel!" she said.

Lopez says she plans to use her winnings to pay off her mortgage and take a family vacation with her husband and three daughters.