Illinois winner of $552M Mega Millions jackpot comes forward to claim prize
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CHICAGO (WGN) — The Illinois iLottery winner of the $552 million Mega Millions jackpot has come forward.
The winner, who is confirmed to be from the Chicagoland area, has chosen to remain anonymous.
According to the Illinois Lottery, the “MEGA Millionaire” hit the jackpot while playing the game online, making this the largest prize won through iLottery in U.S. history.
“I was scrolling through my emails when I saw one from the Illinois Lottery saying to check my numbers because I won a prize,” shared the MEGA Millionaire, who has 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 jackpot amount of $552 million. I actually quit the app and then signed back in to double check and make sure it was real. It was real alright – but it still feels unreal!” the winner said.
The lucky winner continued, “I was raised by a single mom and throughout my childhood, she had to work two jobs to provide for our family, to put food on the table, and for us to get an education,” expressed the grateful winner. “The day after I graduated from high school, I started working and I haven’t stopped since.”
The winner added, “I am a hard worker. I’ve spent my life as a laborer and once I was making a decent living, I asked my mom to retire and let me take care of her. It was my way of thanking her for how much she sacrificed for us. I haven’t told her yet about this life-changing windfall but when that time comes, we’re all going to be shedding some happy tears.”
According to the Illinois Lottery, the historic online win was the ninth-largest Mega Millions jackpot prize in the game’s history and the second-largest prize ever won in Illinois.
“I’ve always dreamed of retiring early and enjoying life with my family. I think it’s safe to say my dream just came true,” exclaimed the newly minted millionaire.
