Monday proved busier than normal for Jumpin' Jimmy's manager Becky Lewis.
"I haven't gotten hardly any paperwork done today because I've been answering the phone so much," she said.
But what do you expect when word gets out that a $12 million-plus lottery jackpot ticket was sold at the small town fuel station?
Illinois Lottery officials confirmed that the lone winning $12,250,000 Lotto ticket was purchased at the Greenup Jumpin' Jimmy's on Saturday but was still unclaimed as of press time Monday.
Courtney Hill, Illinois Lottery spokeswoman, said the winner could claim a lump sum, which after taxes amounts to roughly $4 million. Otherwise, the jackpot winnings would be distributed over a 26-year period.
"Players have a year from the date of the drawing to step forward and claim their prize,"Hill said. "They must submit the original winning ticket and fill out a claim form."
Lotto is the largest Illinois-only lottery game.
Lewis reported that inquiries poured in since the fuel station's lottery machine on Sunday indicated the sale of the winning ticket the night before. "I've had hundreds of calls (asking) 'Who's the person? Where are they from? What's the winning number?' " she said.
She added that she and other employees are rooting for a winner who lives nearby. "We're hoping it's somebody local, but we're right off the Interstate (70), so it could be anybody, anywhere," Hill said. "We're excited. I hope it's somebody who can really use it."
Hill noted that the Jumpin' Jimmy's in Greenup has become a hub for winning lottery tickets, as a $25,000 ticket was purchased there by a local resident in February, as well as numerous $5,000 and $1,000 instant scratch-off tickets over the past two years.
"We do sell a lot of tickets," Hill said. "I think it's the friendly employees who work here - a lot of people come to this station because of the service they receive."
Nobody has commented on this story yet.