A $10 ticket turned into a half-million dollar prize for a man in southwest suburban Crest Hill.

Michael MacAuley won $500,000 after scratching a lottery ticket he bought in a vending machine and ended up winning the top prize, the Illinois Lottery said.

“I always wanted to go to college, and now that I won this prize, I can,” MacAuley told the lottery after winning.

MacAuley bought his $10 ticket at U.S. Tobacco, 1701 N. Larkin Ave. in Crest Hill, the lottery said. U.S. Tobacco received 1 percent of the prize amount — $5,000 — for selling the ticket.