Man wins same lottery game three times in three weeks

Three times in three weeks ... that's a pretty average rate for normal things in your life, like, say, working out. But what about winning the lottery? That's not so average.

This is Chicago resident Christopher Kaelin. His hot streak all started on his lunch break. Kaelin bought a scratch off crossword ticket and won $25,000. Now some might have stopped playing right there. But not Kaelin. He decided to push his luck a little further.

According to WLS, Kaelin said he was so excited with his first round of winnings that he took his wife out to dinner. That evening they stopped at a gas station and he bought another ticket. This time he won $1,000. But he still hadn't won the grand prize of $250,000. So, of course, he tried again.

WMAQ reports the next week, Kaelin stopped at the same store where he bought his first winning ticket. When he scratched it off, he thought he had won $25,000. A pretty big sum of money, but for this guy? Been there, done that.

"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. I was shocked."

That brings Kaelin's total winnings to $276,000. He told the Illinois Lottery, "I never expected to win - especially not three times!" Talk about being lucky.

So what's Kaelin's advice for others? "Take a chance."