It is common knowledge that it is most people’s dream to win the lottery. For years and years, we have often discussed with friends and family what it would be like to become an overnight millionaire. Would we carry on working? Which country would you visit? Would you share it? Would you tell anybody?
What would be the first thing you bought? We are sure that most of us have answered at least one of these questions in the past. For some lucky people, however, the dream actually becomes a reality. You can find all lottery results and Illinois lottery results by following the links, lotteryamerica.com Illinois Lottery Results, these will tell you just how much is up for grabs for the upcoming lotteries, as well as previous results, so you can be sure that you will never miss a draw. By following these links, you can also find out about the history of the lottery in The Prairie State.
We are going to have a look at stories of when dreams were made, and who the lucky winners were, and what exactly they won.
Jesus Davila Jr, Mega Millions, $265 million
The largest lotto win in Illinois happened when a 70-year-old, retired professional driver scooped the jackpot worth a whopping $265 million in February 2015.
Mr. Davila Jr wasn’t even playing with his own numbers. In fact, the man from Naperville bought a $5 Quick Picks ticket, meaning that the numbers he was given were randomly selected by the machine. After discussing the win with close family members, the lucky winner decided to take a one time cash prize, meaning that he would take away $126.8 million after taxes.
The store that Davila Jr bought the ticket at was Bucky’s Express in Glendale Heights. As per the incentives of the lottery, the store received a cool $500,000 reward for distributing the winning ticket. Speaking after his huge windfall, Jesus stated that he planned to share his winnings with family members, and wanted to move house to somewhere much bigger, that has a big garden lawn so he can purchase a ride-on lawnmower to use. He may well choose to live in 1 of the 6 best places to live in Chicago. We think that shouldn’t be a problem.
2 Lottery Tickets Worth $1 Million Each in Chicago Area
They say that lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice, well that is certainly not the case for the most recent mega jackpot win on our list. January 2024 has been a lucky month for lottery players in the Chicago area, with 2 $1 Million prizes being won in the Chicago area, as reported by Illinois Lottery.
One ticket was sold in King Supermarket, Chicago, and the other ticket was sold in Johnsons Lighthouse Pointe and Car Wash, in Villa Park. Both tickets matched all 6 numbers on a Lotto Million 1 draw, and a Lotto Million 2 draw. Joel Johnson who is the manager of Johnsons Lighthouse Pointe and Car Wash, has said that the money the shop has won for selling the ticket will go towards paying bills, and there will be a little bonus for staff, who have been affected financially by the Covid-19 pandemic, which will come as a further boost to the Illinois COVID Program.
As of yet, neither winner has come forward to claim their prize, but this is nothing unusual for winners of big sums. Sometimes, winners like to take a moment to digest what has happened, and sometimes, players might not even know they have won, so all players are being urged to check.
Powerball, $2 Million,
It was a blustery day in September 2024, when an anonymous player logged on to their Lotto account and made an investment that would change their life forever. The lucky winner matched 5 numbers to scoop $2 million, and in turn, became yet another lottery-made millionaire from Illinois. Playing the Lotto online has revolutionised the activity, and following this win, it proves that playing the Lotto has the potential to become one of the things we don’t do anymore because of technology.
It is unknown how many tickets the player purchased, but at just $2 per Powerball ticket, it shows just how staggering the odds can be. One of the most attractive things about playing online is the sheer convenience of it. You don’t have to leave your house to buy a ticket, as you can play through the website or mobile app, which will also free up more personal time for yourself, and you have less chance of missing a Lotto draw.
$56 Million, Crestwood, Mega Millions
We started big, so we are going to finish big. It was reported in June 2024 of a winning Mega Millions ticket being sold at a suburban gas station in Chicago. The value of the ticket, $56 million. The winner didn’t come forward immediately, even though he knew he had won. As the terms of the Lottery states, a player will have 12 months to come forward and claim their winnings. The man, who was well known to the staff at the Citgo gas station, returned to the station, inserted his ticket into the machine to then learn of his winnings. The man was jubilant, falling to the floor and shouting that he had won. However, the man still didn’t contact the Illinois Lottery immediately.
Should Illinois be Renamed, The Lucky State?
After having made so many millionaires in the state, Illinois just might be the luckiest lottery state of them all. We have seen winners from across the state who have won large sums playing a variety of lottery games. What’s more interesting is that the lottery is still attracting a huge following, and record payouts continue to be broken. It is safe to say that the lottery is not going anywhere anytime soon, and we are hoping that it continues to make dreams happen for many more years to come.
