CHICAGO — The Illinois iLottery winner has claimed the $552 million jackpot.
The winner, who has been confirmed to be from the Chicagoland area, chose to remain anonymous.
According to the Illinois Lottery, a “MEGA Millionaire” won the jackpot while playing the game online — making it the largest jackpot won through iLottery in U.S. history.
“I was going through my emails when I saw a message from the Illinois Lottery asking to verify my numbers because I won a prize,” said MEGA Millionaire, who requested to remain anonymous. “In the past, I’ve won $2 here or $5 there, so I assumed it would be similar.”
The lucky winner matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball, 19-37-40-63-69-17, to win the Mega Millions drawing on June 4.
“You can’t imagine my shock and disbelief when I saw that I had won the $552 million jackpot. I actually quit the app and then logged back in to double check and make sure it was real. It was okay – but It still seems unreal!”
The lucky winner continued, “I was raised by a single mother, and throughout my childhood, she had to work two jobs to support our family, to provide food for our family, and for us to get an education,” expressing his gratitude to the winner. . “The day after I graduated high school, I started working and haven’t stopped since.”
The winner added: “I am hardworking. I spent my life as a worker, and once I was living a good life, I asked my mother to retire and let me take care of her. It was my way of thanking her for the amount of sacrifices she made for us. I haven’t told her yet about this unexpected life windfall but when that time comes, we’ll all shed some happy tears.
According to the Illinois Lottery, the historic online win was the ninth-largest Mega Millions jackpot in the game’s history and the second-largest ever won in Illinois.
“I have always dreamed of retiring early and enjoying life with my family. I think it is safe to say that my dream has come true,” exclaimed the new millionaire.
“Amateur organizer. Wannabe beer evangelist. General web fan. Certified internet ninja. Avid reader.”
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