![Illinois Mega Millions jackpot of 2M claimed by winner after drawing of winning numbers, confirms lottery officials Illinois Mega Millions jackpot of 2M claimed by winner after drawing of winning numbers, confirms lottery officials](https://i2.wp.com/cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/14931470_061024-wls-ill-mega-millions-winner-img.jpg?w=1600&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
The Illinois winner of a $552 million Mega Millions jackpot has claimed his prize, the Illinois Lottery announced Monday.
The video in this story is from a previous report.
Last Tuesday’s jackpot-winning ticket was purchased on the Illinois Lottery website.
“I was checking my emails when I saw one from the Illinois Lottery saying to check my numbers because I won a prize,” said the winner, who asked to remain anonymous. “In the past, I’ve made $2 here or $5 there, so I figured it would be similar.
“You can’t imagine my surprise and disbelief when I saw that I had won the $552 million jackpot. I actually logged out of the app and then logged back in to check and make sure it was real. It was really good, but I still know! feels unreal!”
Illinois Lottery Des Plaines Prize Center Supervisor Kathy holds the large check that was presented to the winner of the $552 million Mega Millions jackpot.
Illinois Lottery
The winning numbers were 19, 37, 40, 63 and 69, plus Mega Ball 17.
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“I was raised by a single mother and throughout my childhood, she had to work two jobs to support our family, put food on the table and for us to have an education,” the winner said. “The day after I graduated high school, I started working and haven’t stopped since.”
The winner added: “I’m a hard worker. I’ve spent my life as a worker and once I started making a decent living, I asked my mom to retire and let me take care of her. It was my way of saying thank you.” who sacrificed himself for us, I still haven’t told him about this stroke of luck that will change our lives, but when that time comes, we will all shed some happy tears.”
The win was the ninth largest in Mega Millions history and the second largest prize won in Illinois after a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot winning ticket was sold in Des Plaines in July 2022.
Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 each; In most jurisdictions, players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes.
Drawings take place at 10 pm central time on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Five states, Utah, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska and Alabama, do not have a lottery. A combination of reasons have kept the games away, including objections from conservatives or concerns about how a lottery would affect low-income families.
The overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24; The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
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