$552M Mega Millions Winner Claims Prize In IL: 'It Still Feels Unreal'

ILLINOIS — The Illinois winner of the $552 million Mega Millions lottery prize has come forward to claim their money, which represents the largest jackpot to be won by playing the game online 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,” the winner, who asked to remain anonymous, said in a lottery news release. “In the past, I’ve won $2 here or $5 there, so I assumed it would be similar.”

“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 matched the June 4 jackpot numbers of 19, 37, 40, 63, 69 and 17. It was the ninth-largest Mega Millions prize in the game’s history and the second-largest won in Illinois. A July 2022 ticket bought at a Des Plaines gas station yielded a $1.337 billion jackpot, which is the biggest lottery prize ever won in the state.

Last week’s jackpot will come out to $260.2 million in cash, according to Mega Millions.

“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,” the winner said in the news release.

“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.”

The lucky winner plans to retire early and enjoy life with family.